Press Release - Jinggoy moves to have Nesthy Petecio conferred with second Senate medal of excellence

FOR bringing anew honor and prestige to the country in the Paris Olympics, Filipina boxer Nesthy Petecio earned a Senate Medal of Excellence, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada said.

Hours after Petecio was named bronze medalist in the women's 57kg division, Estrada filed Senate Resolution No. 1122 seeking to confer her with the highest expression of national appreciation for the honor she has brought to the country because of her outstanding and distinguished achievement.

"Petecio embodied relentless pursuit of excellence with her mantra 'walang hinto hangga't walang ginto,' and many years of hard work and intense training since taking up the sport competitively in 2007," Estrada said.

Petecio, he said, already etched a mark in the boxing history in the country, being the first Filipina boxer to ever win an Olympic medal in the male-dominated sport, coming from the Olympic successes of Jose Villanueva in 1932, Anthony Villanueva in 1964, Leopoldo Serantes in 1988, Roel Velasco in 1992 and Mansueto Velasco Jr.

"The two-time Olympic medalist has proven herself as a world-class athlete as she has consistently brought pride to the country with her strong performances in the ring," Estrada said, noting that Petecio was also a titleholder of the AIBA Women's Boxing World Championship in 2019, a three-time Asian championship medalist and two-time Southeast Asian Games champion.

For winning bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics and silver in Tokyo, Japan in 2021, Petecio now belongs to an elite roster of Filipino athletes with two Olympic medals, which includes Carlos Edriel Yulo (2024), Hidilyn Diaz (2016 and 2020), and Teofilo Yldefonso (1928 and 1932).

In her inaugural bout last July 30, Petecio toppled via unanimous win Jaismine Lamboria of India and outperformed Amina Zidani of France in the preliminary round of 16 on August 3. She continued her winning streak and prevailed against Zichun Xu from People's Republic of China in a matchup held on August 4, assuring her entry into the semifinals and another Olympic medal.

She concluded her Olympic comeback at the Roland-Garros Stadium securing the bronze medal and falling short against Poland's Julia