5 MORE GOLDS, RP STILL FOURTH

Jakarta, Oct. 17, 1997 - The Philippines closed in on third placer Malaysia with 28 golds in the overall country standings at the South East Asian (SEA) Games . Gymnast Pia Adele Reyes, the men's and women's fencing teams and boxer Larry Semillano brought in five golds.

Reyes, US-trained and only 13 years old, shared the gold on the balance beam with Nguyen Thi Nga of Vietnam. She also shared the gold medal with Indonesian Novitari Sherly in the floor exercise.

The men's fencing foil team topped the Indons 42-28, while the women's squad also beat the hosts 45-41.

The Indonesians' apparent hometown decisions left only one Filipino boxer with a gold among five Pinoy finalists. Larry Semillano defeated Thai Somchai Nakbale 22-19.

Indonesia still ranks first, with 105 golds, 50 silvers and 53 bronzes, followed by Thailand with 49 golds, 44 silvers and 47 bronzes. Malaysia in third place has 29 gold medals, 37 silvers and 43 bronzes. The Philippines is a close third with 28 golds, 29 silvers and 57 bronzes.