THE city of Muntinlupa recently took a timeout to honor its athletes and coaches who did exceptionally well in the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games held from May 5 to 17 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

To honor these Muntinlupeños, the Sangguniang Panlungsod passed Resolution 2023-243, enshrining in the City archives the achievements made by its citizens.

“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!” Mayor Ruffy Biazon said.

Out of the 840-strong Philippine delegation, six Muntinlupeños medaled in their respective disciplines.

They were Annie Ramirez (gold, jiu-jitsu women’s newaza ogi — 57 kg category); Kaila Napolis (gold, jiu-jitsu women’s newasa gi — 52 kg category); 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 category); and Keisei Nakano (bronze, judo, mixed team event).

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.

In this year’s edition, 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.