Philippine boxing contingent slams officiating after semifinal exits of Nesthy Petecio and Hergie Bacyadan at SEA Games

The 33rd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) officially kicked off in Bangkok, Thailand, on December 9, with the Philippines sending one of its largest contingents ever—a 1,600-strong delegation competing across multiple sports.

Boxing was expected to be one of the country’s strongest disciplines, with Olympians Nesthy Petecio and Hergie Bacyadan leading the charge. However, both star boxers suffered disappointing exits in their respective semifinal bouts, dashing hopes for early gold medals.

The Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) criticized the officiating and judging in the bouts, with secretary-general Marcus Manalo calling for organizers to uphold “sporting integrity.” Petecio lost her 63-kilogram semifinal to Indonesia’s Hasanah Huswatan via a controversial 3–2 split decision.

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“The sport really has to be better in terms of integrity. Otherwise, baka we don’t really deserve to be in the Olympics beyond 2028. Hindi natin mapakita sa mundo na may integrity tayo when it comes to refereeing and judging,” Manalo said in a media interaction.

“KITA NAMAN SA LARO, LAMANG AKO DOON”

Nesthy Petecio’s gold medal campaign at the 33rd SEA Games ended in controversy after she suffered a split-decision defeat in the women’s 63kg light welterweight semifinals on Saturday in Bangkok, Thailand. pic.twitter.com/BkQg5LbZOx

— Fastbreak (@fastbreaknewsph) December 13, 2025

Manalo added that Petecio should have been awarded a unanimous 5–0 decision.

“Iyong kay Nesthy, very surprising kasi I thought the last round was very clear sa atin. I wasn’t even worried about the result. Nag-e-expect na lang ako na sa atin talaga, unanimous. Pero naging 3–2 split pa for the Indonesian. Hindi naman bago ito sa boxing, unfortunately. But part of the things that you have to deal with,” he explained.

ABAP emphasized that they accept defeat when fights are judged fairly. Manalo noted that the controversial decision shocked not only the Philippine contingent but also officials from host Thailand and Indonesia.

“Hindi bale sana kung aggressive ‘yung Indonesian in the last round or if she was throwing accurate punches that were landing. Pero in terms of volume, in terms of accuracy, pareho kay Nesthy. So parang walang basis talaga para ibigay ‘yung last round dun sa Indonesia.

“Even the Thai officials couldn’t believe the result. Reportedly, even the Indonesian sports minister was surprised by the result. Unfortunately, that’s how it is in boxing,” Manalo concluded.

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