Silver medallist Philippines’ Nesthy Petecio poses on the podium with her medal after the women’s feather (54-57kg) boxing final bout during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo on August 3, 2021. (Photo by Luis ROBAYO / POOL / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — Two senators have filed separate resolutions congratulating and commending boxer Nesthy Petecio for bagging a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Senators Risa Hontiveros and Francis Tolentino hailed Petecio for the honor and glory she brought to the country through her first-rate performance in the ring.
Petecio was the first Filipino female boxer to bag a medal at the Olympics.
“Babae, sakalam! Filipinas making history twice in a row comes as no surprise. We are made of tough stuff. Hidilyn showed us it was possible, and Nesthy showed us that it’s just who we are. Nesthy punched through the glass ceiling for so many Filipino girls and members of the LGBQIA+ community who dream to represent us in the world’s greatest sporting event,” Hontiveros said in filing her Senate Resolution No. 822.
READ: Nesthy Petecio takes home Olympic silver in boxing
The senator, chair of the Senate women committee, also stressed that it would be an important move for the Senate to honor Petecio to “officially mark Filipinas’ important place in history and in sports.”
“We all witnessed history unfold. We should take the opportunity to honor women when we triumph in spaces where men rule,” she said.
Hontiveros honored not only Petecio but also weightlifting champ Hidilyn Diaz.
Prior to Petecio’s win, the Philippines last bagged a medal in Olympic boxing in 1996, courtesy of Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco Jr., who also clinched a silver medal.
“[T]he honor and glory that Nesthy Petecio has brought to the country will serve as an inspiration to the youth and all Filipino athletes and will be a beacon for all future Filipino Olympians,” Tolentino, meanwhile, stated in his Senate Resolution No. 819.