Gilas Pilipinas and the indomitable Filipino spirit

Gilas Pilipinas truly saved the best for last.

Sending China crashing, 96-75, the Philippine national team defended our homeland to end its FIBA World Cup run on a high note after a series of tight games in the tournament. It was a historic win–one that couldn’t come at a better time with the Philippines as one of the co-hosts of the FIBA World Cup.

For basketball-loving Filipinos, the victory was made more historic by the fact that it’s been nearly a decade since Gilas last tasted triumph in the tournament with its 2014 win against Senegal.

As Gilas coach Chot Reyes said, the team played for “nothing but pride” in the match against China, and it paid off as the country’s Olympic dream remains alive. The Philippines secured a ticket to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament as the 24th placer with its single win against China over the weekend.

It admittedly hasn’t been a smooth ride for our national basketball team and program to get this far. And while the odds haven’t always been in our favor, I say this with pride both as a Filipino and basketball fan–Coach Reyes, all our players, and all the people behind Gilas and our hosting of the FIBA World Cup made the country proud.

We were able to demonstrate to the world our Filipino brand of hospitality and showcase why we are becoming a top destination for international events.

For this, we owe a debt of gratitude to Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) led by its chairman emeritus Manuel V. Pangilinan and its president Al Panlilio, the 221 local organizing committee staff, over 1,000 volunteers, and all the people who worked tirelessly to ensure that delegates, players, fans, and everyone who were fortunate to be part of this event were treated well and were comfortable.

SBP chairperson emeritus Pangilinan had said “It’s both a privilege and honor to host the World Cup”, and I truly couldn’t agree more.

What a privilege it really has been. I was among those fortunate to witness a couple of games live and it was simply euphoric. Throngs of Filipinos trooped to the various game venues, watched matches on television, and followed updates on social media.

SBP president Panlilio meant it when he said that the 2023 tournament is going to be the best World Cup ever. It united us. Filipinos rallied behind Gilas—cheering and applauding, and while there were those who jeered and criticized, perhaps it simply means that we care deeply about Philippine basketball.

In terms of our performance in the FIBA World Cup, much has been said and done about coach Reyes and Gilas’ showing in the tournament. While each has their own opinion about it, the effort and professionalism of Coach Reyes and the entire Gilas team deserve respect and appreciation.

Throughout the tournament, Coach Reyes and our players were gracious in defeat and when the time came–magnanimous in victory. That’s world-class showing and sportsmanship by Gilas on the international stage.

Gilas showed the world how Filipinos do basketball—with an indomitable spirit that screamed “puso” through and through despite being handicapped in both height and heft. As a Filipino, I couldn’t be prouder of the professionalism of our team.

Outside the court, we also showed the world why the Philippines is called “basketball country.” We made history with a record number of 38,115 fans watching the opening game of Gilas against the Dominican Republic–surpassing the previous record of 32,616 spectators in the World Cup 1994 Final in Toronto, Canada.

For Filipinos, this comes as no surprise given that basketball is deeply ingrained in our culture. From makeshift street courts to Filipinos playing ball in slippers while sporting the jersey numbers of their favorite NBA and PBA players, basketball is not just a game in this country, it’s a part of life.

If any, one important takeaway from our performance in the FIBA World Cup is the continuous comprehensive development of our national sports program. The lessons from this tournament should inspire us as a nation to improve our sports programs and support our athletes continuously and strategically.

We have historically proven that the Filipino can slug it out with the rest of the world on the international court and to achieve greatness, we need a solid sports program with continuous government and private sector support.

The future of basketball is bright for the Philippines as we have the foundation to build on for its continuous development. I am confident that when we see Gilas on the court again, we’ll look back at the historic FIBA World Cup 2023 held here in Manila.

If there’s any doubt about what we can achieve, it’s worth noting that to this day, no other Asian team has beaten the Philippines’ 1954 bronze finish in the 1954 World Cup.

There’s simply no denying it: Gilas Pilipinas showed the world what basketball represents for Filipinos: the continuous pursuit of greater heights fueled by “puso”, an indomitable spirit, and sheer passion. Time and time again, we do it the Filipino way.

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in the foregoing article are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the Philippine News Agency (PNA) or any other office under the Presidential Communications Office.