Just like the Philippines' ranking, there was also a drop in the contribution of Negros Occidental's athletes to the country's gold coffers in the 24 th Southeast Asian Games that ended Saturday in Thailand.

Negrense athletes hauled four gold medals in the Philippines ' dismal sixth place finish. The RP bets finished the biennial meet with 41 golds, 91 silvers and 91 bronzes.

With only hammer throw king Arniel Ferrera and judoka John Baylon striking individual golds, Negros Occidental's output was eight golds less than two years ago when the Philippines ruled the Games that was hosted in Manila, Cebu and Bacolod.

Jeffrei Chan, the Bacolod City-born basketball standout who honed his skills at the University of St. La Salle , was part of the basketball team that captured the title in convincing fashion, while Nelsa Delagente, Yocel Aguilar, Mary Joy Lasquite, Sheirylou Valenzuela, Sarah Jane Agravante and Cloiene Muyco helped the softball team retain its title for another gold.

Hotshot Juvic Pagunsan has turned professional, earning raves and earning big money in the Asian Tour, making him ineligible from defending his individual golf title in Thailand.

Juanito Magliquian, the pinweight champion from Talisay City , has retired, while Joan Tipon, the bantamweight defending champion, was dropped from the national team.

Mitchel Martinez of Bacolod and Bago City failed in her bid of repeating her dramatic triumph in Bacolod City , bowing to her Thai foe in controversial fashion to settle for the silver.

The traditional dragon boat teams, whose rosters included Negrenses, also came home with four silvers, a big flop considering that the team romped home with six golds in 2005.

Also noticeably absent from the honor roll were the eight other Negrense male boxers, five of whom walked out from their final matches in protest to perceived biased judging favoring Thai bets.

Godfrey Castro ( Cadiz ), Junel Cantancio (Bago), Junie Tizon (Bago), Orlando Tacuyan Jr. ( Bacolod ) and Joegin Ladon (Bago) retired either at the beginning of the boat or the later rounds with only Larry Semillano (Bago) going the distance in another futile effort for a gold medal. The six settled for silvers.

Boxers Albert Pabila of Bacolod and Bill Vicera of Bago both wound up with bronze medals as they fell in the semifinals.

Athletics saw Negrenses delivering three silvers and two bronze medals. The two silvers were courtesy of Julius Sermona of Libacao, Himamaylan, who achieved the feat in the 5,000m and 10,000m, while the other came from Rosie Villarito of Isio Cauayan in the women's javelin throw.

Arnold Villarube of Escalante won the bronze in decathlon, duplicating the finish of Joebert Delicano in triple jump.

Golfer Anya Tanpinco added two more silvers to her collection by placing second in the individual event and leading the squad to a second-place finish in the team competition.

SEA Games debutant Carlos Padilla V of Bacolod City also limped home with a bronze in taekwondo, allegedly falling prey to pro-Thai decisions in his semifinal match.

But Ferrera of Man-uling Cauayan provided one of the Philippines ' brightest moments in the Games by improving his own hammer throw record, while Baylon extended his domination of the 81 kg event of judo.

Ferrera's heave of 60.93m erased his old mark of 60.47m.*CPT

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