THE Philippine Sports Commission-led Inter-Agency Task Force for the country’s hosting of the FIBA World Cup convened in Malacañang on Wednesday with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. reiterating his support to the event set from August 25 to September 10.
“This Administration is committed to providing the Inter-Agency Task Force with all the necessary support and assistance it needs in order to fully achieve its objectives and to secure the safe, orderly, and successful conduct of the tournament,” said Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevara on behalf of President Marcos.
“Let us all take this endeavor both as an opportunity and as a challenge—an opportunity to showcase what the Philippines has to offer and a challenge to make the FIBA Basketball World Cup a great experience for athletes and fans alike,” Guevara added during the meeting at the Malacañang Conference Room.
PSC and Inter-Agency Task Force Chairman Richard Bachmann arranged the meeting that was also attended by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin (center) and Guevara (second from left) along with PSC Commissioners Walter Torres, Edward Hayco, Olivia “Bong” Coo and Matthew “Fritz” Gaston.
“Today, we move one step closer to fulfilling our goal of bringing the best World Cup hosting in the history of FIBA Basketball,” Bachmann said.
“I also thank our national government for Administrative Order No. 5 issued by Malacañang last March 27th directing all government agencies and instrumentalities to extend their support for this hosting.”
Bachmann expressed confidence over a successful hosting of the biennial competition that features the best basketball countries and players in the world.
“All timelines, concerns and deliverables expected from each of us here will be met, as we, at the PSC, continue to work hand-in-hand with the SBP [Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas] and other vital agencies,” Bachmann said. “Our Team Pilipinas needs the team within us.”
The group phase set August 25 to 30 will be co-hosted by the country, Japan and Indonesia with the final phase set September 5 to 10 all in the Philippines.
