SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go questioned why the core of the Gilas Pilipinas team that competed in the FIBA campaign was not brought to the 2026 Asian Games, with the defending champions now out of the tournament after a painful 105-61 loss to China on Monday.
Go, who chairs both the Senate Committee on Sports and the Senate Committee on Youth, raised concerns about player availability, eligibility rules and the amount of preparation given to the national team after Gilas finished the group stage with a 1-2 record.
“Nagtataka lang po tayo kung bakit iyung ipinadala sa Asian Games ngayon ay hindi po iyung core ng FIBA Gilas Pilipinas team natin,” Go said.
He specifically mentioned Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu and Kevin Quiambao as players he believed could have been part of the team, while acknowledging that club commitments in Korea and the different eligibility requirements for international tournaments may have affected their availability.
Go also pointed to the Philippines’ failure to field a naturalized player in the Asian Games despite efforts to make Bennie Boatwright eligible.
“Tayo, wala po tayong naturalized player ngayon,” Go said. “Sayang naman po minadali nating ipinasa rito, nagkaroon pa tayo ng special session para ipasa si Boatwright pero hindi po nila napalaro kasi hindi yata kaagad umabot sa deadline.”
The absence of a naturalized big became even more noticeable as Gilas struggled against larger opponents during the tournament. Go noted that the Philippines’ tallest center was only around 6-foot-8, leaving the team at a disadvantage against bigger frontcourts.
“Talagang hirap na hirap po tayo. Kaya naman po nating magpadala ng 7-footer at saka iyung ating mga naturalized players,” he said.
That size disadvantage was painfully exposed in the group-stage finale against China. Gilas needed to lose by no more than 37 points to remain in contention for one of the quarterfinal berths.
Instead, China raced away for a 105-61 victory, taking a 66-30 lead into halftime before stretching the margin to as many as 44 points.
The defeat eliminated Gilas from the men’s 5-on-5 competition and ended the Philippines’ bid to defend the gold medal it won at the 2023 Asian Games.
For Go, the result should force Philippine basketball to reassess how the national team is built and prepared long before another major tournament arrives.
He urged the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to maintain a national pool of around 30 players throughout the year, allowing the federation to monitor their eligibility, availability and club commitments well ahead of international competitions.
“Dapat mahaba ang preparation nito,” Go said.
The idea, according to Go, is to have enough qualified players ready to step in whenever injuries, scheduling conflicts or eligibility issues prevent members of the preferred lineup from joining the national team.
“Hindi limitado sa iilang players lang po na kung 30 players, kung sinong available at sino iyung papayagan ready po sila,” he added.
Go also stressed that he does not believe funding was the primary problem behind the roster situation, instead pointing to coordination and preparation.
“Hindi po pera iyung problema rito. Siguro maaaring iyung coordination nila at saka iyung panahon rin po ng preparation.”
He further argued that Gilas should have its strongest possible roster available when defending an Asian Games championship.
“Isipin mo defending champion tayo, dapat maglaro tayo para manalo and to defend our crown,” he said.
Now that the Philippines has been eliminated, the focus shifts to what comes next. For Go, the lesson is straightforward: establish the player pool early, settle eligibility and scheduling issues well before competition, and make sure the country’s best available talent is ready when Gilas is called. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
