The House plenary. (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

A consolidated resolution commending and congratulating the Filipino athletes who placed fifth overall in the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Cambodia was adopted by the House of Representatives on Wednesday, May 24.

Adopted by the lower chamber during plenary session was House Resolution (HR) No.1009, in consolidation with other resolutions.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez was the principal author of HR No.1009. His co-authors include Majority Leader and Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Mannix Dalipe, Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos, Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan, Committee on Accounts Chairperson and Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, and Deputy Majority Leader and Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre.

Team Philippines bagged 58 gold, 85 silver, and 117 bronze medals, for a total of 260 medals--good for fifth place in the regional sports competition held in Cambodia last May 5 to 17.

The authors noted that the “remarkable finish of the athletes and the entire Philippine delegation shows the Filipino spirit of rising above arduous obstacles brought by the pandemic and other challenging conditions, and inspires aspiring Filipino athletes to train hard and do their best to become sports heroes in their own fields.”

“It is but fitting and proper to congratulate and commend the indomitable spirit and exceptional performance and achievement of the Philippine delegation, including all athletes, coaches, trainers, and support staff for bringing honor and glory to the country through the gold, silver and bronze medals won in the various sports events,” they said.

They credited the group’s accomplishment to the athletes’ “self-discipline, sheer determination, mental preparedness, and physical agility", as well as to the support and training extended by a professional group of coaches and trainers.

“The top-caliber athletes and coaches displayed their heroism, sporting prowess and unrivaled sportsmanship during the multi-sports event,” the resolution stated.

The Philippines had the fifth largest delegation with over 840 athletes, sports officials, coaches, trainers, team managers, and other support personnel.

Aside from the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam also participated in the biennial sports meet.

More than 6,200 athletes took part in 584 events across 36 sports.