Philippines was the best-performing Southeast Asian country at Paris Olympics President Marcos promised to develop country’s sports after meeting Filipino Olympians MANILA: Thousands of euphoric Filipinos jammed the streets of Manila on Wednesday in a grand homecoming parade for the country’s Olympians led by Paris Olympics double gold winner Carlos Yulo. Yulo’s victories in the men’s floor exercise and vault events earlier this month were the largest victory ever by an athlete from the Philippines since the country joined the Games a century ago. Two Filipino boxers, Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, won bronze medals in women’s boxing in Paris. Adoring fans were shrieking and waving little flags on Wednesday to greet Yulo and the Philippines’ Olympics contingent as they rode on a float adorned with the five Olympic rings as a backdrop, cruising through major Manila streets. “I’m here to welcome Carlos and our other athletes. They deserve a warm welcome,” Manila resident Berns Tolentino told Arab News. “Congratulations, Carlos … What’s important is you made us Filipinos proud.” Ligaya Sardiya, another Manila resident, said she was very happy to see the Filipino athletes who performed at the Olympics. “It is very important for me to be here, to see them, because I am a Filipino, so I want to see all those athletes who made us proud as a nation,” she told Arab News. With his medals hanging proudly on his neck, a beaming Yulo flashed victory signs, took selfies and signed T-shirts that were later thrown back to the street crowd. The parade ended with Yulo and his fellow Olympians addressing thousands of people gathered at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. “This is overwhelming … We will do better in the next competition, and rest assured that we will get more medals. I thank all the people who support us,” Yulo said. The 24-year-old is the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to win two golds at a single Olympics, making the Philippines the best-performing country in the region for this year’s Games, followed by Indonesia. Across the archipelago nation, other government offices, leading Philippine companies and local brands have showered Yulo with various pledges of gifts. These include a fully furnished three-bedroom condominium in one of Manila’s posh neighborhoods, free ramen for a lifetime and also free consultations from a gastroenterologist after he turns 45. On Tuesday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gave the 22 Filipino athletes presidential citations and 1 million pesos ($17,500) each, while Yulo was awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit and given 20 million pesos. “Your performance was the result of … (your) sacrifice of yourself, your coaches, trainers, nutritionists, and especially your families … You made the Philippines famous all over the world,” Marcos said. Marcos acknowledged how the Philippines currently had “no formal structure” to help its athletes, a longstanding concern in the country’s sports development. “That’s what we are going to establish now,” Marcos said. “I want to be part of the development of sports in the Philippines. We have been left behind.”