Palace to Pinoys: Be proud of Gilas despite losses

MANILA, Philippines - Gilas Pilipinas may have not yet won a single game in the FIBA World Cup, but the national cagers remain a source of pride for Filipinos, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Sec. Herminio Coloma Jr. said the nation should still should be proud of Gilas, an underdog in the tournament, for giving a gallant fight against global basketball powerhouses.

"Well, taas-noo ang ating mga manlalaro, taas-noo pa rin ang mga Pilipino sapagkat kahanga-hanga rin naman ang kanilang ipinakitang husay sa pakikipaglaro," Coloma said at a televised press briefing.

"Sa aking palagay ay dapat pa ring ipagpatuloy 'yung ating pagsuporta at dapat pa rin nating ipagmalaki ang Gilas Pilipinas," he added.

On Wednesday (Manila time), Gilas suffered another heartbreaking defeat in its must-win game against Puerto Rico. Like in their matches against Croatia, Greece and Argentina, the Filipino players lost by a small margin.

Malacañang said Gilas could have won the close games.

"[S]ino mang nakakaunawa ng basketball [ay] magsasabing kung nadagdagan lang ang swerte ay maaari pang napagtagumpayan ito," Coloma said.

The Philippines, ranked 34th in the world, was not favored to win against the said four teams in Group B since they all have higher FIBA rankings.

The only team ranked below Gilas is Senegal. The two teams will match up tonight.

Coloma said Filipinos should still cheer for Gilas in their final FIBA game even if they have not qualified for the next round of the tournament.

He added that the nation should also support the team during the Asian Games in Incheon, Korea, the qualifying tournament for the Olympics.