Olympic champion Schooling hits out at bashers of Pinay 'second mom'

Singaporean Olympic champion swimmer Joseph Schooling on Tuesday hit out at bashers of his Filipina nanny Yolanda Pascual, whom he called a "second mom."

In a live interview with Schooling and his nanny Yolanda "Yolly" Pascual on "State of the Nation with Jessica Soho," the Olympic gold medalist hit out at netizens for bashing her.

"Auntie Yolly, she's like my mom," said the city-state's first Olympic champion. "She's like my second mom."

He added that she didn't deserve the harsh comments that she was getting after she was thrust in the spotlight after Schooling's win in the men's 100m butterfly event in Rio de Janeiro. She was featured in a commercial with Schooling with Singtel, which media outlets have picked up after his historic win.

"It's disappointing hearing all these accusations of her trying to ride me and trying to use my success, you know, to increase her popularity," he said.

"I think whoever said that should be shot. That's stupid. That really pissed me off. That's not true at all."

While stories about her were widely shared, there was a lot of criticism about how the Filipina was supposedly riding on his coattails.

Pascual, who hails from Cagayan Valley, said she was hurt by some of the criticism she has received from people online saying that she rode the popularity of her ward.

"I've been really getting bad comments," she said. "I came here to work as a nanny but it is a decent job."

Pascual said she has been witness to Schooling's evolution from a young dreamer into an Olympic champion.

"Sometimes playful, but he is a very good boy. Until now," said Pascual, who noted that she also did her share to help mold Schooling by taking care of him.

"Not just because of money, but because I love him," she said. —JST, GMA News