Puentevella and Hidilyn Diaz had reached out to the school sporting organizations even before during the latter’s silver medal finish in the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016.

“Three or four years ago, I and Hidilyn talked to UAAP through Rod Roque and she was urging that we push for the inclusion of weightlifting in the UAAP,” Puentevella shared during the PSA Forum on Tuesday.

“We wrote four years ago but I was frustrated because nothing happened since then. I want to reiterate my appeal.”

With Diaz’s golden success in the recently concluded 2021 Tokyo Olympics, SWP president is once again appealing for the inclusion of weightlifting for the youth to be exposed to the sport at the grassroots level.

According to Puentevella, this will allow young athletes to hone their knowledge and skill in the sport, as he sees potential in many youths as young as 12 years old who are similar to Diaz when she was a product of Batang Pinoy.

“Susulat ako ulit sa UAAP board kung pwedeng isama. Kailangan mag-encourage na rin ang UAAP board sa kanilang mga eskwelahan,” said Puentevella. 

“If we want to help sana makinig si [DepEd] Sec. [Leonor] Briones, sana makaabot sa kanya itong apela ko at kay UAAP.”