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From one Marcos presidency to another, World Cup hosting comes full circle

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Rey Joble

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. leads the ceremonial toss as the Philippines hosts the 1978 World Basketball Championship. Courtesy of SBP" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/08/31/marcos-wc.jpg"/><figcaption>President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. leads the ceremonial toss as the Philippines hosts the 1978 World Basketball Championship. Courtesy of SBP</figcaption></figure></div>In 1978, the Philippines – then under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. – brought the world’s biggest basketball tournament to domestic shores: the World Basketball Championship. By next year, that hosting will have come full circle as the FIBA World Cup – that event’s rebranded name – returns to the country, which is co-hosting with Japan and Indonesia. And as fate would have it, another Marcos presidency is going to witness the staging of the biggest basketball spectacle to be participated in by the best players, including the NBA. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will have a chance to see up close and personal the unveiling of this most prestigious basketball event that is now following a similarly patterned Olympic Cycle.The World Cup is happening right in front of our basketball-crazy fans, who treat the game like a religion.Marcos experienced it first hand, when he took time to watch Gilas Pilipinas’ 84-46 convincing victory over Saudi Arabia in the Philippines’ last game in the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Monday.In the midst of a deafening roar by the crowd to every great play and basket made, a chant of &quot;B-B-M, B-B-M&quot; was heard from the packed Mall of Asia Arena.It was during the time of Marcos Jr.&#x27;s late father when Philippine basketball created a legacy. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/08/29/22/look-marcos-attends-gilas-saudi-arabia-game">LOOK: Marcos attends Gilas-Saudi Arabia game</a></li></ul>In the 1973 Asian Basketball Confederation in Manila, the Philippines – bannered by Robert Jaworski, Bogs Adornado, Francis Arnaiz, Mon Fernandez, Manny Paner, Jimmy Mariano and the late Tembong Melencio among others and coached by Tito Eduque – defeated the Shin Dong-Pa-led South Korean team for the gold medal, thus qualifying for the 1974 World Basketball Championship in Puerto Rico.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/30/22/marcos-congratulates-gilas-pilipinas-for-fiba-win">Marcos congratulates Gilas Pilipinas for FIBA win over Saudi Arabia</a></li></ul>Right after the 1978 hosting of the World Basketball Championship, the country also staged the Asian Basketball Confederation Under-18 Championship, also held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, and the Philippines quintet coached by American Ron Jacobs brought in players such as Hector Calma, Franz and Derrick Pumaren, Leo Austria, Louie Brill, and Jong Uichico among others, went on to defeat China for the gold medal. Several members of that youth team were elevated to play in the men’s level and in 1985, the core of the squad and later on joined by collegiate stalwarts Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim Yves Dignadice, and Jerry Codinera and Pido Jarencio as among the notable ones, plus naturalized players like Dennis Still and Jeff Moore, formed the Northern Consolidated-backed national team. They formed the Philippine team which ruled major international tournaments like the William Jones Cup in 1985 against the highly-favored American squad, and the ABC tournament played from late 1985 to early 1986.Al Panlilio, president of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, recalled the glory days of Philippine basketball under the Marcos administration and he is hoping to work with the president by showcasing the best hosting of the FIBA World Cup.“We have a picture of President Marcos when we did the hosting here where FM was doing the ceremonial toss and we would imagine that BBM is going to make the ceremonial toss next year,” said Panlilio. “We would like to do well for the country. And if we do well, we hope we can make the country proud.”

The Philippines also hosted the World Basketball Championship – the precursor to the FIBA World Cup – in 1978.