MANILA, Philippines — No less than Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and veteran Hollywood actor Lou Diamond Phillips will headline the delegation that will accompany Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan on Friday as the SBP makes its one, final push to host the Fiba World Cup in 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.
The presence of Pacquiao, the world?s only eight-division boxing champion, along with the Fil-American Diamond Phillips, underscore the country?s seriousness in hosting the world championships for the first time since 1978.
?In the Philippines, basketball is life. It is part of our cultural fabric and the number one sport, which people throughout our country follow devotedly every day,? said Pangilinan, in an official statement on Monday during the #PUSO2019 Fiba World Cup send off at the Lighthouse inside the Meralco compound in Ortigas, Pasig.
?The opportunity to receive the honor of hosting the Fiba basketball World Cup would provoke extraordinary national pride,? he added.
?And as the social media capital of the world, that?s something that would inevitably be felt and talked about worldwide.?
The Philippines will be facing a formidable foe in China, which has hosted among others the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the 2010 Asian Games in Guanzhou, along with the Fiba-Asia men?s basketball championships three times in its last four stagings. Sportshub ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
China, in fact, will again serve as host of the Fiba-Asia cage joust next month in Changsa, Hunan.
Former Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes, who will also be part of the Filipino delegation set to leave for Tokyo on Wednesday, defined the word PUSO (Filipino word for heart) as ?Pride and passion, Unity, Social savvy and Our time?.
?We all know the country?s pride and passion which is our sport. Lahat tayo dito naiintindihan natin ano ang ibig sabihin at gaano kalalim and pride and passion for the sport,? explained Reyes, who handled the Gilas side last year, which registered the country?s first victory at the Fiba World Cup in Spain.
Reyes, now the heads of Sports5, also said that based on the latest survey, 80 percent of the Filipinos polled are die-hard basketball fans.
?And of those 80 percent, 96 percent are supportive of the bid for the Fiba World Cup. Ninety-six percent of the 80 million Filipinos want to see the World Cup hosted here in the Philippines,? he added.
Various sectors of the government, led by the Department of Tourism has pledged its full support in the SBP?s bid to bring the Fiba World Cup hosting back to the Philippines.
?Our organization and together with many other government agencies in the country are in full support of the initiative of the SBP to host the World Cup in 2019,? said Tourism undersecretary Domingo ?Chikoy? Enerio.
?We?re very excited with the prospect of bringing home this major championship in the country.?
