PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will be present in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament, according to incoming Philippine Sports Commission chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez.
Ramirez confirmed President Duterte’s presence at the OQT during his guesting in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.
“The President is coming to the Fiba qualifying sa MOA,” Ramirez, one of Duterte's trusted men, said. “You are going to see him there.”
However, Ramirez didn’t specify when President Duterte will be there to watch the games.
President Duterte was invited by no less than Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas President Manny V. Pangilinan to be present at the OQT on July 5 to 10 where Gilas Pilipinas will be vying for an Olympic berth in Rio De Janeiro.
The event, incidentally, falls under the first few days of the administration of Duterte, who will formally be sworn into office on June 30.
Gilas is facing France and New Zealand in Group B, with the top two teams advancing to the semifinals against their counterparts in Group A, composed of Turkey, Senegal, and Canada, for the lone berth in Rio.
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