After carrying the weight of Philippine sports in recent years, the Filipina athletes rightfully take center stage in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia this May.
Team Philippines decided to put the spotlight on the heroines as an all-female contingent will grace the parade of nations in the opening ceremony on May 5 at the 60,000-seat Morodok Techo Stadium in Phnom Penh.
“This will be a first in SEA Games history as Team Philippines will be represented by an all-women delegation in the parade,” Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said on Friday, April 28.
The country will be represented by 50 female athletes, the cap set by the Cambodia SEA Games Organizing Committee (Camsoc) for the traditional parade.
Only three men from Team Philippines will join the Filipina athletes – Tolentino, chef de mission Chito Loyzaga, and the flag bearer whose identity would be revealed a few days before the opening of the regional games.
The Philippine contingent will be wearing Francis Libiran-designed white barongs over black pants.
Called the “Francis Libiran Araw Barong Tagalog,” it is made out of Philippine jusi fabric and materials and features an intricate embroidery of the Philippine flag.
The hues of blue overlap a small bed of red as the sun and its rays encompass the entirety of the sash to truly represent every Filipino, showing off their liberty, peace and valor.
Libiran also designed the barong worn by Filipino athletes in the 2019 Philippine SEA Games as well as last year in Hanoi where he named his masterpiece “Agila” that had intricate embroidery with an art deco of the Philippine eagle.
