Statements from Chot Reyes and Chito Salud re: Gilas Pilipinas and the SBP

In line with the recent news involving the SBP, here are a couple of statements:

From Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes:

“I have been assured by both SBP President Manny V. Pangilinan and SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios that the Gilas Pilipinas program has not been disbanded, and will continue under a regime of broader consultation with the basketball community, which I support. As to whether I will continue to be the Gilas coach or not depends on the SBP Board under whose mandate I have served since being appointed as Head Coach since 2012.”

From PBA commissioner Chito Salud:

On Gilas:

The SBP is not dissolving or discontinuing the Gilas Program. It is a successful program that has the PBA's full support. The formation by the SBP of a Selection Committee to choose a Head Coach for the Gilas National Team, to create a pool of players from which the National Team can draw, and to synchronize the PBA calendar and the Gilas National Team training schedule is proof of a stronger collaborative effort on the part of the SBP and the PBA, its team owners and governors, as well as other stakeholders, to finetune the Gilas basketball program. The objective of the Selection Committee is clear: to consolidate the gains of the existing program and to chart a strategic course to improve current performance. This process will adopt a systematic, methodical and inclusive approach to ensure that Philippine basketball becomes more competitive internationally both in the short and long term.

On the PBA's relationship with the SBP:

The PBA is keen to continue supporting the SBP and its worthy objective of consolidating and improving on the gains the Gilas program has achieved in recent years. The creation of a selection committee will help harness and broaden the support and resources available for SBP within the PBA community and beyond.
We are excited about the creation of this selection committee. It gives key stakeholders a channel to participate in a dynamic manner in the achievement of our goals.