#labapilipinas

The names are out. These are the names that represent us all. Like them or not, they carry on their chest our identity as a nation—complicated by different issues that affect us as a country. But as Gilas Pilipinas march on to the FIBA World Cup in China, their names bring with them this one resounding message:

First and foremost, our apologies for the desecration of the esteemed wordmark. It was never the intention to ruin the name. But after the blatant and outright trashing of no less than the President of the Republic of the Philippines, this one doesn’t even come close to, or fare as against the magnitude of demoralizing words he had uttered to our beloved Gilas Pilipinas as we head on to the #FIBAWC.

EHEM!   Are we really #FIBAWC bound? Because it seems we're not. While most teams gather and prepare, doing tune-ups already, adding notable stars to their pool, even a couple of National Teams joining the NBA Summer League —our Gilas pool is struggling with attendance as they begin to call the weekly practice. What used to be a "small ball" handicap for Gilas Pilipinas has now become " small attendance " obstacle!