MANILA -- The chief of the Philippine Olympic Committee couldn't help but consider the "what ifs" even as he hailed Team Philippines for a "strong performance" in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.

Filipino athletes brought home 58 gold medals, 85 silvers, and 117 bronzes from Phnom Penh. They finished fifth in the medal table behind Vietnam (136-105-118), Thailand (108-96-108), Indonesia (87-80-109) and the host nation Cambodia (81-74-127).

"It was a strong performance for Team Philippines. Look at the medal hauls natin, gold, silver, and bronzes. Na-surpass natin 'yung [medal haul from] Vietnam," said POC President Rep. Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino during Tuesday's Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.

Team Philippines had a 52-70-105 haul in Hanoi last year, where they wound up in fourth place.

"In total, it was really a strong performance for Team Philippines, especially reclaiming the basketball (gold) in our region," he added.

Gilas Pilipinas had capped the Philippines' campaign by crushing Cambodia in the gold medal game, 80-69, to avenge an earlier loss in the group stage.

• Gilas Pilipinas gets back at Cambodia, regains SEA Games gold
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However, Tolentino was somewhat disappointed that the Philippines did not clear the 60-gold mark, and noted the number of silver medals won by the nation's athletes. The POC chief pointed out that of the 85 silver medals, over forty came from "subjective sports" where judges made the decisions.

"Conservatively, 20 na lang ang kunin mo doon na gold," said Tolentino. "That could be roughly 70-plus or 80 [gold medals]. So we are on third [place], definitely third."

Still, Tolentino is pleased at how the Filipino athletes delivered in Phnom Penh, especially as they had a relatively smaller delegation compared to the other nations above them in the medal table.

"Malakas na talaga ang Team Philippines. Nag-evolve na talaga ang atleta natin, nag-level up na. Sumabay na tayo doon sa mga malalakas," said the POC chief.

The medal output was just one gold medal short of the 59 which the country won in the 1987 SEA Games in Jakarta, starring the late track queen Lydia de Vega-Mercado, swimmer Eric Buhain, and bowlers Paeng Nepomuceno and Crystal Soberano.

• Gold, silver medalists in Cambodia potential shoo-ins for Asian Games
• PH's medal haul 'speaks for itself,' says POC's Tolentino

For more stories on the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, click here.

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