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Manila Bulletin devider devider Solon calls Duterte's remark on Gilas an 'insult'

Solon calls Duterte's remark on Gilas an 'insult'

Published Aug 12, 2019 07:18 pm
By Ellson Quismorio Magdalo Party-List Rep. Manuel Cabochan on Monday said President Rodrigo Duterte's opinion of the Gilas Pilipinas national basketball team amid the upcoming FIBA World Cup was quite an insult. Magdalo Para Sa Pilipino Partylist logo (Photo from Magdalo Partylist Facebook) Magdalo Para Sa Pilipino Partylist logo (Photo from Magdalo Partylist Facebook) "Saying Pinoys should bet on team China...is an insult not only to Gilas but to the Filipino people," said Cabochan, who is an independent member of the House of Representatives. The neophyte lawmaker was referring to President Duterte's recent remarks in front of Filipino-Chinese traders during an event in Malacañang. "Talo tayo, walang laban. Sa China na lang tayo magpusta (We will lose, it's no match. Let's just bet on China)," the Chief Executive was quoted as saying. “We will lose sa Italy. Ang lalalaki kaya ng mga gagong ‘yan (Those fools are tall),” added the outspoken Filipino leader. Gilas Pilipinas, ranked 31st by FIBA, belongs to Group D in the World Cup along with Angola (39th) and powerhouses Italy (13th) and Serbia (4th). Group A's China, the host of the tournament, is only one rank higher than the Philippines at 30th. The closeness in ranking suggests that a Chinese team victory over, say, a European contender, could be considered just as big as an upset if the job was done by Gilas. It should also be noted that the Philippine men's basketball team has beaten its Chinese counterpart in the Gilas era a handful of times. Asked if he thought Duterte was merely lighting a fire under the Filipino hoopsters' bellies, Cabochan disagreed. "All had to say to challenge Gilas was 'make us proud.' Betting on China is never a challenge to Gilas," said the former Navy official. "Kahit yung hindi mahilig sa basketball sa sariling team pa rin kakampi di ba? (Even those who are not into basketball would still choose to support their own, right?)" Cabochan said. To some, Gilas's entry into the 2019 edition of the World Cup proved that its appearance in the 2014 tournament--its first in decades--wasn't a fluke. The basketball rivalry between the Philippines and China is backdropped by years-long tension on territorial disputes in the West Philippines Sea.
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