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| Compiled photo from Inquirer and Philstar (ctto) |
Senator
Risa Hontiveros aired dismayed over President Duterte’s statement expressing doubts
about Gilas Pilipinas' chances in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Duterte
said "Wala, talo tayo, walang laban.
Sa China na lang tayo magpusta. We will lose to Italy. Ang lalaki kaya ng mga
gag*ng ‘yan." He said during a meeting to a group of Filipino-Chinese
businessmen at Malacañang,:
Once
again, Hontiveros criticized the President for refusing to take the side on our
Filipino athletes on their 2019 FIBA entry while this not an issue on the
territorial dispute with China but just an
international basketball tournament.
“Gaano ba
kahirap kampihan at ipagtanggol ang Pilipino? Pati ba naman sa basketball,
hindi magawang kampihan?! #LabanGilas,” Risa wrote on her Facebook.
Meanwhile,
In an interview with Mr. Paolo del Rosario of Cignal TV, he said that Gilas
Pilipinas coach Yeng Guiao maintained that the team was not bothered by
Duterte's comments, which has since been criticized on social media.
"Well it
doesn't really bother us, 'no. I guess you just have to take that from a
positive point of view. Your attitude should be positive. We should be able to
just keep believing in ourselves," said Guiao, who is with the national team in
Spain for a training camp.
Coach Guiao
said the team will just take President Duterte’s statement as a challenge rather
than feel sorry for what he said.
"Pinaka-magandang
approach diyan is, look at it as a challenge, just keep believing in what you
can do," Guiao added.
"Whether
we win or we lose, it's really the way you carry yourself, the way you put out
a good performance. And who knows what can happen?"
Guiao
also noted that "at the end of the
day, I think the President is still going to be rooting for us anyway."
Gilas
Pilipinas will open its campaign against Italy on August 31, before playing
powerhouse Serbia on September 2, and Angola on September 4.
Source:
Politiko
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