DAYS after the Gilas Pilipinas' golden run in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, the Philippines remained on a high.
President Bongbong Marcos Jr., senators, and global sports personalities took time to air their congratulatory messages to the national team on social media.
READ: Historic Gilas gold, Obiena record sweeten Philippines' 17th-place finish
Leading the rally is Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas chairperson Sen. Sonny Angara.
“The odds were against us. Jordan was the favorite to win the finals with the way it ran through its opponents on the road to the finals. But the Philippine team never lost its focus and got huge morale boosts with its victories over Asian powerhouses Iran and China," he said.
Angara added: “In the end, Gilas just wanted it more. Everyone on the team stepped up, played hard, and never lost sight [of] its goal of bringing the Philippines back [to] the pinnacle of Asian basketball."
Pinoy boxing legend Sen. Manny Pacquiao also took it to Twitter to showcase his 'Proud Pinoy moment'.
Sen. Francis Tolentino simply thanked Justin Brownlee and coach Tim Cone.
Hence, Sen. Joel Villanueva shared a video clip of his reaction watching the Gilas Pilipinas' winning moment live.
PBBM honors Gilas
President Marcos also weighed in: "I know every Filipino is proud to be called one today. Congratulations, Gilas Pilipinas, on this incredible feat! Your hard work continues to elevate Filipino athleticism and sportsmanship to the global arena."
Utah's Jordan Clarkson, who served the national team as naturalized player during the recently concluded Fiba World Cup, made his statement short and sweet.
"Puso!" he wrote on Twitter with a Philippine flag emoji.
Even Joey De Leon gave the national team a shoutout on social media.
Ramon S. Ang also wrote Gilas a heartfelt message and thanked Manny V. Pangilinan on his post.
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