When stakeholders collaborate the way they did, success usually follows.
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) President and CEO Ramon S. Ang attributed Gilas Pilipinas’ success in the past year to the one man who has started it all.
He was referring to Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP), the chairman emeritus of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
Ang had this to say after sharing the Executive of the Year honor with MVP during the PSA Awards Night on Monday.
The two joined hands in hosting the FIBA World Cup in 2023 and through the Asian Games in Hanghou, where Gilas captured the gold medal for the first time in 61 years.
While he was glad to be part of that, Ang said it was all MVP.
“That gold medal was the result of the hard work and effort of not just the players and coaching staff, but most especially, MVP himself. The Gilas Pilipinas program is really his brainchild, and without his vision, commitment, and patriotism to see the program through all these years, we probably would not have a champion Gilas team,” he said.
“We are proud to have been given the opportunity to be part of it, and we thank MVP for lifting Philippine basketball to greater heights.”
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Ang hopes this will also rub off on every national athlete as the country looks to replicate Hidilyn Diaz’s gold-medal performance in Tokyo when the Paris Olympics unfurls this year.
“I hope the amazing feat of Philippine basketball team will also inspire our athletes to go for more gold medals in Paris,” said Ang, who bestowed P22 million in incentives to Tokyo medalists Diaz, Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio, and Eumir Marcial.
When stakeholders collaborate the way they did, success usually follows. That’s why there’s no doubt in Ang’s mind there will be more medals to come the country’s way.
“Everything is possible when all the country’s stakeholders work together. It was just three years ago when Hidilyn Diaz shone in Tokyo for our first gold in the Olympics,” he said.
“And just last year, we grabbed the Asian Games gold in basketball that eluded us for 60 years. So I think another breakthrough is possible.”