Lost in China

Guangzhou, China – Ni hao! From the third biggest city of China, Bleacher Talk excitedly reaches you. We’re here to watch games of Gilas Pilipinas at the FIBA World Cup 2019 along with a mix of basketball fans, officials, coaches and media men. The trip has been fun, exciting and educational, all in one, but personally for us, it’s the first time to watch a FIBA World Cup. And at our age, we surely don’t mind it being a first in our lifetime, do we? We can still recall how as a kid and sports fan, we followed the games of what was then called the “1978 Men’s World Championship” of basketball held in Manila. Yugoslavia won the tournament, followed by the Soviet Union and Brazil at games played at the Araneta Coliseum. The Philippines was automatically seeded into the final round as hosts. 41 years later and after following most of the FIBA World Cup events, here we are set to watch our first ever edition, up close and live.

 The most impressive note about this particular trip is that one gets to see how madly Pinoys are in love with their basketball. Global Link Travel and Tours, run by Batang Gilas Manager (and Cebu resident) Andrew Teh, organized a package that has brought Pinoys over to stay in Guangzhou and watch the games of Gilas Pilipinas in Foshan, an hour’s drive way. We are with the group of personalities from the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) that include Operations Director Butch Antonio, board members/regional directors Monica Jorge (with sister Veronica), Joey Guillermo (with partner Alisa Malasarte, a Cebuana), Pong Dacoco, Robert Uy, Robin Uy, Paul Supan, Peter Rey Bautista and Gil Cortez (the PBA’s first-ever Rookie of the Year who happens to be my roommate).

The big bosses of the SBP (MVP, President Al Panlilio and Executive Director Sonny Barios) and Gilas are in Foshan, and we’re also in touch with PSC Commissioner Ramon Fernandez, a good friend and former Toyota teammate of Gil Cortez. A pleasant surprise is the presence of Cebuanos on the trip. With us are Gallagher and Grace Gallarde, the parents of ex-USC Warrior and now entrepreneur Geno Gallarde (Rad Chameleon). Geno’s uncle Oliver is also here. Dante Tan, a Cebuano based in Manila, is also here so it was fun relating with “mga bisaya.” The other Pinoys here are businessmen, coaches, relatives of Gilas players and fans of the game who are here to support Gilas Pilipinas. We have chatted with Bong and Mozzy Ravena and have had pictures taken with Marcio Lassitter. Teh said that two buses will shuttle the Pinoys to Foshan for all of the games where they will meet more Pinoy fans who reside in China. Gilas Pilipinas played Italy last night (I’m writing this piece before the game); will face Serbia tomorrow at 7:30PM and Angola on September 4 at 3:30PM. Teh’s team has organized the trip in such a way that everything is managed in an orderly manner: itinerary, guidelines, reminders, pre-filled up immigration docs and a support staff.

 Guangzhou is a bustling urban center with a population of 20 million. It’s the third biggest city in China, next to Beijing and Shanghai, and boasts of a history rich in tradition and culture. Being in the southern part of China, Cantonese is the place’s original language/dialect but Mandarin is also common, being the national language. I sense from our travel guide that Guangzhou is very much like Cebu is to Manila. They are proud of their city and province that have developed through the course of time. Development has been rapid that people who work in Guangzhou now live outside the city due to the high cost of living. Many of them live in Foshan where the games of Gilas Pilipinas are being played. But Guangzhou is the financial and business capital of the Guangdong province or state. Going around the shopping districts near our hotel reminds me of the Chinatown/Binondo/Divisoria area in Manila. Malls are in high-rise buildings instead of sprawling complexes. And there are many stall-type retailers just like the ones we find back home. But I have to admit these are cleaner, more orderly and dust-free. Note that I haven’t seen Chinatown/Binondo/Divisoria ever since Mayor Isko Moreno cleaned things up.

Residents here live in “handshake” apartments or condos. These buildings are so close to each other that with windows open, you can literally shake the hand of the person who lives in the next building. Incidentally, games of the FIBA World Cup are also being played in Guangzhou. The group playing here is composed of Spain, Iran, Puerto Rico and Tunisia. We’ve talked about maybe watching some of these games but Gilas is still the priority. Meanwhile, Foshan is an hour’s drive from Guangzhou and is better known for being the birthplace of Bruce Lee. It’s primarily a place where people live, serving as a suburb to Guangzhou. Many people who work in Guangzhou live in Foshan and take advantage of their excellent mass transit system to go to work and go back home. How I wish we could have something like this.

 It's the FIBA World Cup 2019 folks and it’s showtime. Let’s support and pray for Gilas Pilipinas. As Coach Rommel Rasmo advises us, “Seize the moment.” You bet! We won’t just seize the moment. We’ll embrace it and cherish this for a lifetime. One Big Thanks. Para sa bayan. Puso!