Press Release - Pia commended local organizers and players on the successful hosting of 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup

Thank you, Mr President. For the record, our Senate President can outwalk anyone. So kung walking, until midnight, hindi ho yan magpapatigil because I've experienced many official trips where we walk home, which is a great part of our experiences together.

Anyway, Mr President, it is my honor to stand before all of you today to co-sponsor Senate Resolution No. 857, otherwise known as the resolution congratulating the FIBA for the successful hosting of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Mr President, my colleagues have put on record what we have achieved by hosting the World Cup, so let me just share some personal anecdotes and stories to complete the picture. Some time in 2018, my brother Alan said to me, I have an interesting project for you. Coming from Alan, and for those of you who know him, you'll never know what he means when he says he has something interesting. So in my mind, I was like, seryoso? Para sa akin o para sayo? What's interesting? Because what's interesting to me is not necessarily interesting to you, and vice versa. But he said to me, promise you will love it.

And as it turned out, the project was to bid for the FIBA World Cup in 2023. Remember, this was in 2018, so in 2018, five years, ang layo niyan. Ang layo pa. But the opportunity to be part of history and to join MVP and the SBP team was really too hard to resist. And so, I joined them in late 2018 and we headed to Geneva for a series of visits to complete the bid. So with us, not a very big group, but of course, the founder and Chairman Emeritus, MVP was there, President Al Panlilio, on my first trip, Sen. Sonny Angara wasn't with us, but he was on the second trip, where the official bid was made. And it's an interesting experience for me because I was able to use my experience as a world parliamentarian. We actually made a bid with co-host Indonesia and Japan. And our counterpart in Indonesia was actually a member of parliament. And so we also had the opportunity to have many exchanges, and he continues to be a friend to this day.

And on that fateful day, we made our bid with Indonesia and Japan, made our pitch, and then we had to wait. And the waiting was intense. If you recall, we