LEYTE Rep. Richard Gomez was caught on CCTV manhandling Philippine Fencing Association (PFA) president Rene Gacuma during the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
In a viral social media post, the video shows a man, believed to be Gomez, hitting with his fist another man wearing an official Philippine SEA Games shirt.
Gacuma later confirmed via his letter of complaint to Philippine SEAG Chef de Mission Raul Canlas, that the incident occurred on Dec. 16 at Fashion Island, the competition venue, where Gomez, a director of the fencing association, allegedly confronted him over the replacement of national athlete Alexa Larrazabal in the individual women’s epee event.
Gacuma said Gomez did not want the board to replace Larrazabal with another fencer, Hanniel Abella in the said event.
The fencing chief recounted the verbal and physical abuse, which he claims began when he attempted to congratulate Gomez on his recent silver medal in shooting.
Gacuma recounted the alleged abuse, stating that Gomez squeezed his hand, swore at him, and hit him at the back of his head, adding he is considering consulting his legal counsel and possibly filing charges against the Leyte lawmaker.
Gacuma also clarified the athlete replacement was unanimously approved by the PFA board, based on the coaching staff’s recommendation citing the athlete’s unauthorized absences and failure to submit required documents.
“I will have all directors of PFA investigated by Congress and see if you can still get a budget,” Gomez allegedly told Gacuma.
Gomez’s office has yet to make a comment on the incident, although in a spin.ph report, the Leyte solon said that it was Gacuma to came near him, adding he also plans to file bullying charges against the association on behalf of fencer Larrazabal.
Gomez and his daughter, Juliana, were among the athletes representing the Philippines at the games, with the former competing in shooting and the latter being part of the fencing team.
