MVP honored for Philippine return to world stage

MANILA, Philippines – As they celebrated his valuable support to the unifying, inspiring force that is Gilas Pilipinas, Smart-PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan said he owes it to Filipinos who eat, drink and breathe basketball to make sure their beloved game is on the right track.

“I’ve always been asked by a number of skeptics why despite our size, we continue to support basketball, a sport that doesn’t quite fit the physique of Filipinos. And my answer always has been, Filipinos love basketball, right?” he said during the tribute hosted for him by Gilas and Smart’s new partner, Chooks-to-Go, Monday night.

“Paano natin tatalikuran ang sport na talagang iniibig ng mga Filipino? Hindi ba mahirap gawin iyon? (How can we turn our backs on something that Filipinos really?) So no matter what, we’ll be there because this is the kind of sport that Filipinos love,” he stressed.

Pangilinan and the MVP Group of Companies have been supporting the country’s basketball program since 2007. With his leadership and backing, the Phl climbed out of the doldrums and returned to the world map, zooming to No. 2 in Asia and qualifying in the 2014 Fiba World Cup, where it held its own against the likes of powerhouse Argentina and Croatia.

“Indeed, the measure of progress has always been the Fiba rankings. When we took over Gilas in 2007, we were suspended at that time and ranked 64th. Now, we’re ranked 26th,” he said.

The challenge, he stressed, is to continue the upward movement.

“We want to go down to the teens, right? From 26 to 19 or 18 (in the world rankings) after the next tournament. That should be the goal, right?” he asked the Gilas pool and the crowd in general.

To help the nationals achieve this goal, Pangilinan said he will lead the lobbying to persuade the Fiba Central Board to relax the eligibility rules on Fil-foreigners to clear the way for the likes of LA Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson to reinforce them.

Ronald Mascariñas, president and general manager of Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc., the company that operates Chooks-to-Go, said it is but proper to recognize the selfless and overwhelming support of MVP and Smart.

“This is an opportunity for us and the country to rightly honor and thank the man who almost single-handedly supported the national basketball team from its lowest point when it was suspended by FIBA to its long arduous journey of trying to qualify for the Olympics,” said Mascariñas.

He also said the journey “united the country and gave Filipinos hope that we can compete with the best in the world.”

Pangilinan, who also served as SBP president, revived Phl basketball by taking a business-like approach. 

“We felt we have to infuse the discipline of business in managing a sports program and that’s what we’re trying to do with respect to the Gilas team. That’s why we have a coaching staff who has program,” he said.

“We’re serious about this and all for the sake of country and for the sake of basketball here,” he added.