LINGAYEN, Pangasinan: Host Pangasinan Province collected seven more gold medals to dethrone Baguio City as champ of the athletics event while Olongapo bet Jamleth Marie Villanueva secured her fifth gold medal in swimming on Thursday in the Northern Luzon leg of the Philippine Olympic Committee-Philippine Sports Commission Batang Pinoy 2012 at the Narciso Ramos Sports Complex and Civic Center.

Pangasinan now leads the medal tally with a total of 28 gold medals in track and field plus one from the medal-rich aquatics tilt. The province also has in its medal haul 41 silvers and 28 bronzes.

But the day actually belongs to the 12-year-old Villanueva, who reigned supreme in the 12-year-old-and-under 50 meters butterfly (34.07 seconds) and the 100m backstroke (1:19.80) events. Villanueva is so far the most bemedalled athlete in the meet with five gold medals under her name.

A grade 7 student at the Regional High School in Olongapo, Villanueva also dominated the girls’ 12-year-old-and-under 200m backstroke (2:51.82), the 200-m butterfly (3:03.02) and led her team to victory in the 4x50 meter medley (2:31.17).

The Pangasinan bets who ruled their events in athletics were Jayson Toribio (400-m hurdles), Princess Suarez (girls’ 2000-m walk), Joshua Anthony Escala (boys’ 2000-m walk), Mark Conrad Manipon (boys’ javelin throw), Reuben Jacob (boys’ discuss throw), Faith Abigail Castro (girls’ 200-m dash), Paul Isaac Manibog (boys’ 200-m dash) and Jenny Rose Antonio (girls’ javelin throw).