I grew up loving and watching basketball. I remember being a Ginebra fan when I was a kid because my titos and titas will always watch the game, and there I was clueless with what's happening. I know, I remember that because I used to have a crush on Vince Hizon then! I used to watch UAAP games live too, even cut classes to watch it live back in my HS days... and my love for basketball was forgotten when I stepped into college. Since then, I no longer got interested watching basketball games but I still keep myself posted but not into the detailed ones. 

The past few weeks, FIBA Asia was all over my feeds. It was a huge opportunity for Philippines then because we're the host this year and it's a ticket for the FIBA World Championships. See that? WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. That's why I understand where all the support are coming from because this will be the time after so many years that the Philippines will get the chance to prove what we're capable of. I may not been able to watch all of their games; but this video made me so proud and even made me tear up:

The crowd is unbelievable. The curse has been broken; how Coach Chot reacted after they won. How the team prayed after they won. Their hearts, ahhh. I can't even find the perfect words to describe it. This has been a wonderful, wonderful way to represent Philippines. These guys made every Filipino so proud to be one, and kudos to them for pouring their heart and soul to each game they played. They may be tired and restless, but look at them. Look how far they brought our flag -- SPAIN 2014 for the FIBA World Championships. Right there. They earned a spot for the world to see.

They may have lost the FIBA Asia championship, but a silver medal is more than enough already. I salute these men and their families for sacrificing a lot just to raise our flag. You guys are more than amazing. Congratulations still, Gilas team! You deserve all the applause and the respect we can ever give you. Laban Pilipinas!