THE Philippine para swimming team continues to raise the country’s flag after another golden run on the second day of the 13th ASEAN Para Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

Spearheading the delegation’s medal haul, the Filipino tankers added four more gold medals to their already decorated run in the regional games with breathtaking performance one after the other.

Ernie Gawilan led the medal spree with his record-breaking gold medal finish at the His Majesty 80th Birthday Aquatics Center. The three-time Paralympian reigned supreme in the men’s 200m freestyle S7 tournament after his 2:26:08 time, breaking the ASEAN Para Games record at the same time, which had stood for 18 years.

In an interesting twist of events, Gawilan surpassed the previous 2:52.11 record owned by Sittichai Somyut of Thailand, which he also set in Nakhon Ratchasima way back in 2008.

It was the second gold medal for the 34-year-old national team standout after his gold medal outing in the men’s 400m freestyle S7 event during the first day of competition last Wednesday.

After winning the country’s first gold medal in the Para Games, Paralympian Gary Bejino also captured another medal in the men’s 200-meter freestyle S6 class, where he clocked two minutes and 37.21 seconds. This came after his 5:32.08 performance in the men’s 400m freestyle S6 finals that opened the floodgates for Team Philippines.

Bejino is already one of the most decorated para athletes of the country, and now he further cemented his legacy, winning his fourth ASEAN Para Games gold and third in the 400m freestyle event.

The rising Filipina para swimmer Angel Otom is also dominating the competition after already winning four gold medals in Thailand. Otom started her third straight regional games stint with a first-place finish in the women’s 50m backstroke S4-S5, recording a time of 47.29 seconds last Tuesday. She then followed it up with another astounding finish in the women’s 100m freestyle S4-S5, clocking 1:41.44 to bag her second gold.

With the experience she gained from her Paris Paralympics stint, the 22-year-old Filipina pulled off back-to-back gold medal finishes on Friday. The already multi-medalist ruled the women’s 100m backstroke and the freestyle 200m S5, edging the favored bets from Thailand and Vietnam.

The Philippine para swimming team currently has 9 golds, 5 silvers, and one bronze, leading the delegation in medal counts.