The Muntinlupa City government honored athletes and coaches who brought honor to the country in the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games held on May 5-17 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The Muntinlupa City Council passed Resolution No. 2023-243 congratulating Muntinlupeño athletes and coaches in the SEA Games.
(Clockwise from top left) Annie Ramirez, Kaila Napolis, Gretel De Paz, Shugen Nakano, Keisei Nakano, Daryl John Mercado, Jay-R Beterbo and Carlo Biado (Photos: Mayor Ruffy Biazon, Facebook, Instagram)
"Congratulations to our Muntinlupeño athletes and coaches who have shown their strength and excellence in the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia. You make your City truly proud,” said Mayor Ruffy Biazon, who signed the resolution on May 29.
Out of the 840-strong Philippine delegation, eight Muntinlupeños won medals. Honored by the city government are Annie Ramirez (gold, Jiu-jitsu Women's Newaza Nogi-57 kg category); Kaila Napolis (gold, Jiu-jitsu Women's Newasa Gi-52 kg); Gretel De Paz (gold, Kickboxing Low Kick - 56 kg class); Shugen Nakano (silver, Men's Judo-66 kg class); Daryl John Mercado (bronze, Men's Judo 55 kg); Keisei Nakano (bronze, Judo Mixed Team); Jay-R Beterbo, silver, Floorball-Men’s Tournament); and Carlo Biado, bronze, Billiards-Men’s 9-Ball Pool Doubles.
The city also recognized coaches Jayson Senales and Kodo Nakano, who are also from Muntinlupa, for successfully leading the national judo team to a strong medal showing at the Games, accounting for a total of seven medals.
The recent campaign is hailed as one of the country's strongest overseas performances, second only to the 59-gold medal haul in the 1987 Jakarta SEA Games which featured mainstays such as the late Lydia De Vega-Mercado, Paeng Nepomuceno, and Eric Buhain.
In this year's SEA Games, Team Philippines netted 58 gold, 85 silver, and 117 bronze medals for a total of 260, enabling the country to finish fifth overall in the medal tally out of 11 ASEAN member-nations.