Gilas Pilipinas caps buildup, plays PBA 5, Kazakhstan

MANILA, Philippines - Gilas Pilipinas takes the first of its last two tune-up games before setting out for the 27th FIBA Asia Championship next week, squaring off with a PBA selection tomorrow at the MOA Arena.

The Nationals, back from their New Zealand jaunt, will then wrap up its FIBA Asia buildup with a game against Kazakhstan on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

While its match against the PBA selection is expected to be a virtual workout, its face-off with Kazakhstan is an interesting one since the central Asian team looms as the Philippines’ opponent in the quarterfinal round of the Asian world qualifier.

The FIBA Asia tilt is slated Aug. 1-11 at the MOA Arena and Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Gilas Pilipinas pre-FIBA games are under the campaign Laban ng Gilas, Laban ng Pilipinas: The Road to the 2013 FIBA Asia 2013 Championship, organized by the PBA’s official mobile phone partner, MyPhone.

“The battlecry is what MyPhone and the PBA aim to convey in this campaign. Being the pro-Pinoy mobile phone brand that we are, we extend our support to Filipino athletes, particularly the basketball league. We join PBA in the endeavor to support our national team,” said MyPhone president Jaime Alcantara.

The campaign seeks to highlight Gilas’ effort to further enhance national pride.

“Our goal is to make Laban ng Gilas, Laban ng Pilipinas the battlecry as Gilas represents and plays for our country,” adds Alcantara.

Tickets are available at SM Tickets for the Gilas Pilipinas versus PBA Stars game and TicketNet for Gilas Pilipinas versus Kazakhstan game.

While the home team is grouped with Jordan, Chinese Taipei and Saudi Arabia in Group B, Kazakhstan is bunched with Bahrain, India and Thailand in Group D.