TRIUMPHANT PARA ATHLETES. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., in a post in his official Facebook page on Monday (Aug. 8, 2022), praises the Philippine athletes on their triumphant campaign in the recent 11th Asean Para Games (APG) in Surakata, Indonesia. The Filipino para athletes brought home 28 gold, 31 silver, and 47 bronze medals. (photo courtesy of PBBM)
MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday praised the Philippine para-athlete delegation over their triumphant campaign during the recent 11th Asean Para Games (APG) in Surakata, Indonesia.
Competing in 14 disciplines, the Filipino athletes returned home with their best-ever finish of 28 gold, 31 silver, and 47 bronze medals.
“Binabati natin ang ating mga kampeon sa katatapos lamang na 2022 ASEAN Para Games na ginanap sa Indonesia (We congratulate our champions at the recently concluded 2022 Asean Para Games held in Indonesia),” Marcos said in his official Facebook page and other social media accounts.
He also shared a photo collage of Filipino athletes who raked in medals.
“Pinatunayan nila na hindi hadlang ang kanilang kapansanan upang makamit ang tagumpay. Ang kanilang katatagan at dedikasyon ay isang mabuting huwaran sa bawat kabataang nangangarap maging isang atleta (They proved that their disability is not an obstacle to achieve success. Their tenacity and dedication are a good example for every young aspiring athlete,” he added.
The Philippines retained its No. 5 ranking at the close of the 11th edition of the sporting event with majority of the 144-athlete contingent participating for the first time at this level since 2017.
To recall, the APG was twice postponed -- 2020 Philippines and 2021 Vietnam -- due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The last edition the Philippines competed in was in 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the country won 20 gold, 20 silver and 29 bronze medals.
Earlier, Philippine Paralympic Committee president Michael Barredo said Filipino para-athletes have laid the foundation in training harder and better so they can continue to bring home glory and honor to the country.
With their recent performance, he said the team is ready to take on rising challenges in the next Asean Para Games in Cambodia in 2023. (PNA)
