The House of Representatives adopted three resolutions Aug. 12 congratulating and commending double Olympic gold medal winner Carlos Edriel Yulo, bronze medalists Nesthy Alcayde Petecio and Aira Cordero Villegas, and members of the Philippine delegation to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
The House also conferred the Congressional Medal of Distinction on Petecio, who won the bronze in the 57-kilogram boxing event, and on Villegas, also bronze medal winner in the 50-kilogram boxing competition.
House Resolution (HR) No. 1864 was also adopted last week in consolidation with other resolutions conferring on Yulo the Congressional Medal of Excellence, the highest award given to Filipino achievers in sports, business, medicine, science, and arts and culture.
HR No. 1915 was adopted Aug. 12 by the House, in consolidation with other resolutions granting Petecio and Villegas the Congressional Medal of Excellence.
HR No. 1917, which seeks to honor all Filipino athletes who competed in the recent Olympics, was also adopted in consolidation with HR No. 1887.
The Philippines was represented in the Paris Olympics by 22 world-class athletes, who competed in nine different sporting events, namely Yulo, Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo and Levi Ruivivar for artistic gymnastics;
Villegas, Petecio, Hergie Bacyadan, Carlo Paalam, and Eumir Marcial for boxing; Ernest John Obiena, John Cabang-Tolentino, and Lauren Hoffman, athletics; Vanessa Sarno, John Febuar Ceniza, and Elreen Ann Ando, weightlifting; Joanie Delgaco for rowing; Samantha Catantan for fencing; Kayla Sanchez and Jarod Hatch, swimming; Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina, golf; and Kiyomi Watanabe for judo.
“In a stunning display of exceptional strength, discipline, and perseverance, the Filipino athletes and their respective coaches and trainers led the Philippines to a spectacular 2024 Paris Summer Olympic finish, ranking first among all Southeast Asian countries, and 37th all over the world,” Speaker Martin Romualdez and the other authors of the resolutions of commendation said.
“Coinciding with the country’s 100th year of participation in the Olympics in the same venue in 1924, this year’s triumph stands out as the most impressive finish in the country’s Olympic history, bringing immense pride and joy to the whole nation, uniting the country in celebration, and earning the respect and admiration, not only of fellow Filipinos but also citizens of other Southeast Asian nations,” they added in a House press release.
Romualdez and his colleagues said the Filipino Summer Olympics participants delivered a stellar performance that surpassed the four-medal haul set during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, with two gold medals secured by Yulo for floor exercise and vault events in men’s artistic gymnastics, and two bronzes in boxing.
They added that Yulo, in his unprecedented double gold win, “accomplished what no other Filipino athlete has achieved as he dominated the men’s artistic gymnastics events with near-perfect routines that earned him the highest spot in Philippine Olympic history.”
They noted that other Filipino Olympians reached the medal round, namely Obiena, who ranked 4th in men’s pole vault; Pagdanganan, who placed 4th in women’s individual stroke play in golf; and Ando, who ranked 6th in women’s 59-kg weightlifting. ||
