Long before Manny Pacquiao's punches were heard around the world, there was Lydia de Vega.

No other athlete except for Pacquiao has captivated the nation more than de Vega during her prime.

She was the face of Philippine sports in the eighties, the girl with the ponytail who filled every nook and cranny of the old Rizal Memorial baseball stadium and whose life story was made into a movie in which she starred herself.

Diay, as she is fondly called, filled the newspapers with her exploits on and off the track.

Her run-ins with then sports czar Michael Keon were legendary.

Keon, a nephew of then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was the executive director of Project: Gintong Alay, the predecessor of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), and president of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).

The young, bearded sports official was known for instilling discipline in his athletes and did not give preferential treatment to anyone, including Diay.

When Diay broke camp rules, Keon did not include her in the delegation bound for the China Open Invitational track and field meet in 1982.

But Imelda Marcos, then First Lady and Minister of Human Settlements, intervened and convinced her nephew to allow Diay to join the team.

"Everybody is correct here. Keon has his problems, he was working in terms of budget and discipline," she said.

"I fully understand his concern for discipline as head of the sports association, but I also fully appreciate the concerns and needs of a father."

Francisco "Tatang" de Vega, a retired policeman, was the strict father and coach of the track phenom.

He was a celebrity himself known for his witty remarks and his favorite pastime – fighting spiders, locally known as gagambahan.