Manila: Senator Joel Villanueva on Monday commended the Gilas Pilipinas Youth for winning the 2025 FIBA U16 Asia Cup South East Asia Basketball Association (SEABA) Qualifiers held in San Fernando, Pampanga from May 24 to 30. In his Senate Resolution 1357, Villanueva celebrated the team's sixth consecutive gold medal in the biennial competition, which also served as the qualifying tournament in the region for the FIBA U16 Asia Cup.
According to Philippines News Agency, Villanueva emphasized the honor that the Gilas Pilipinas Youth has brought to the nation, serving as an inspiration to aspiring young athletes and captivating millions of Filipino basketball and sports enthusiasts globally. 'Gilas Pilipinas Youth demonstrated unwavering determination, discipline, and perseverance, and their remarkable performance merits the highest praise, recognition, and commendation as they showcased to the world the relentless spirit and excellence of Filipino basketball,' Villanueva stated.
The team, under the guidance of rookie coach Lewis Alfred 'LA' Tenorio and Assistant Coaches Richard del Rosario and Gabe Norwood, was supervised by the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas, the country's national sports association for basketball. The roster included Jeremiah Antolin Jr., Nickson Andwele Cabanero, Prince Carino, Evaraigne Cruz, Carl Gabriel de los Reyes, Justin Hallare, Mhale Jhello Lumague, Chirs Paul Miranda, Luisito Joel Pascual, Travis Gabriel Pascual, John Rayven Restificar, and Ethan David Tan-Chi.
The Gilas Pilipinas Youth team exhibited dominance throughout the tournament, defeating Vietnam (113-62), Thailand (87-42), Singapore (101-37), Indonesia (77-68), and Malaysia (96-61). In the gold medal race, they decisively overcame Indonesia (70-40), securing their sixth appearance in the 2025 FIBA-Under 16 cup, which is scheduled to be held in Mongolia this July.
