John Cabang Tolentino set a new Southeast Asian Games record in the men's 110m hurdles, boosting the Philippines' medal count. Hokett delos Santos also claimed gold in the decathlon, raising the country's total golds to 11.
At the Supachalasai National Stadium in Bangkok on December 12, 2025, John Cabang Tolentino established a new Southeast Asian Games record in the men's 110m hurdles with a time of 13.66 seconds. The 24-year-old 2024 Paris Olympian surpassed the previous mark of 13.69 seconds set by Thailand's Jamras Rittidet in 2015. This improved on his bronze from 2023 in Cambodia, while Singapore's Ang Chen Xiang took silver with 13.75 seconds.
"For me, it is an honor to raise the flag on the top of the podium for the Philippines," Tolentino said. "I’m super happy."
Tolentino was not the only star in athletics; Hokett delos Santos topped the men's decathlon with 6,917 points, denying Thailand's Suttisak Singkhon a three-peat with 6,649 points for silver. Delos Santos is the reigning UAAP athletics MVP for the University of Santo Tomas.
The Philippines' other golds that day came from the men's baseball team, taekwondo athlete Tachiana Mangin, gymnast John Ivan Cruz, and swimmer Kayla Sanchez. Currently, the Philippines has 11 golds, 16 silvers, and 35 bronzes, placing fifth in the medal tally behind Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore, with eight days of competition remaining.
