PH SENATE INQUIRY ON GILAS

Hope is high that the beleaguered Gilas Pilipinas will finally get to get their act together after the Philippine Senate has decided to step in amid the national team’s preparations for the 2023 Fiba World Cup.

Senators Christopher Lawrence Go, Mark Villar, Joel Villanueva, Francis Tolentino, and Alan Peter Cayetano filed the Philippine Senate Resolution no. 83 – 2022 urging the senate committee on sports to “conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the ways to support Gilas Pilipinas Men with the end in view of reviewing relevant laws and policies to ensure optimal performance in future international sports competitions and to protect the welfare of Filipino athletes.”

PH Senate filed a resolution

The five senators filed a resolution on Monday, August 1, citing that the Gilas fans have clamored that the team receives more support to improve the team’s performance in international competitions. The SBP general meeting was also held on the same day.

The PH senate resolution also cited defending champion Philippines’ humiliating defeat at the hands of Indonesia to settle for the silver in the 31st Southeast Asian Games and Gilas’ string of losses against New Zealand and Japan in the recent FIBA Asia Cup where the nationals finished at ninth place.

The PH senate resolution also underscored ” a pressing need to revisit sports relevant laws and policies which are aimed to support Philippine national teams participating in international competitions and review any related measures that will ensure the competitiveness and welfare of Filipino athletes. “

PH Olympic Committee

Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino, who is the brother of Sen. Francis, earlier warned the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas ( SBP ) of the possibility of a senate inquiry after Gilas’ SEA Games silver finish.

He was quoted as saying, “ Do we need a law na dapat priority ang national team ? Kahit anong laro o schedule, dapat priority. Superseded ang mga contracts nila at mauna yung bansa ( Whatever game or schedule, it must be the priority, superseding players’ contracts as the country must come first ). ”

It can be recalled that the SBP issued a statement calling for basketball stakeholders’ unity ahead of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which the country is hosting alongside Japan and Indonesia.

Coincidentally, the resolution was filed during the same day the general meeting of the SBP was being held.

Gilas’s coach

The Chot Reyes – coached Gilas’ failure to reach the Fiba Asia Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 15 years was adding insult to injury following their SEA Games championship loss that ended the country’s 33 – year basketball supremacy in the SEA region.

Meanwhile, netizen Miggy Hilario said a public consultation should be addressed by the sports committee and for them to listen to suggestions and recommendations of the public towards SBP’s mandate to govern the national team. “Sana nahahalal o appointment system ang handler ng national team para iwas palakasan system sa pagtalaga ng coach at members ng coaching staff ( I hope that the handler of the national team and members of the coaching staff will be elected or selected through an appointment system to prevent favoritism ), ” he said.