Jerrold Mangliwan leads Team PH in opening of 13th ASEAN Para Games

Decorated wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan carried the Philippine flag as Team Philippines marched into the opening ceremony of the 13th ASEAN Para Games in Thailand, Jan. 20.

Mangliwan, one of the country’s most accomplished para-athletes, reprised his role as flag bearer, a duty he previously held during the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics.

Mangliwan’s presence at the forefront of the delegation underscored the team’s reliance on veteran leadership as competition gets underway.

A six-time ASEAN Para Games gold medalist, Mangliwan has long been a mainstay of the national para athletics team.

He dominated the men’s 400-meter T52 and 200-meter T52 events during the 2023 edition in Cambodia, further cementing his status as one of Southeast Asia’s elite wheelchair racers.

Team Philippines enters the Games aiming to build on its performance in the 12th ASEAN Para Games, where it finished with a 33-33-50 gold-silver-bronze medal haul.

The Philippine delegation is composed of over 200 contenders.

The 13th ASEAN Para Games runs from Jan. 20 to Jan. 26, 2026, featuring 493 gold medals across 19 sports, including athletics, swimming, wheelchair basketball, table tennis, sitting volleyball, wheelchair fencing, and wheelchair tennis.

Athletes from 10 ASEAN nations are competing in the biennial event: Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, and host Thailand.

As the Games officially opened, Mangliwan once again stood as a symbol of consistency and excellence for Philippine para sports.



With reports from One Sports