Rep. Richard Gomez admits to punching PFA president over fencer's exclusion

Leyte Representative Richard Gomez admitted to physically striking Philippine Fencing Association (PFA) president Rene Gacuma during the SEA Games in Thailand.

Gomez stated he was angered by the PFA's decision to exclude his hometown fencer, Alexa Larrazabal, from an individual event, despite her strong performance in national tryouts.

The PFA president detailed the alleged assault and threats, which he plans to submit to the Ethics Committee of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the House of Representatives (HoR).

House Committee on Public Accounts Chairperson and Bicol Saro Representative Terry Ridon stated that Gomez's alleged assault could be grounds for an ethics complaint against the lawmaker.

The POC President, Abraham Tolentino, stated that the committee awaits an official report on the incident and prefers the parties involved to resolve the matter themselves.