UP selects Eric Altamirano as Women's Basketball head coach

From L-R: UP OASD coordinator Kenneth Raval and Director Bo Perasol, UP WBT head coach Eric Altamirano and assistants Anton Altamirano and Mikka Cacho, UP OASD deputy director Mo Gingerich

Eric Altamirano makes his long overdue return to his alma mater.

The veteran tactician, who has won a championship as a player and as a coach, has been tasked to revive the University of the Philippines' women's basketball program, as announced by the university's Office for Athletics and Sports Development on Wednesday.

In joining the program, he says, "I've come full circle. This is my way of giving back sa school that gave me the opportunity to start my playing career and coaching career."

After winning the men's basketball championship with the Fighting Maroons in 1986, Altamirano would play in the professional ranks before rejoining the program as head coach a decade later. He would then call the shots in the pros with Purefoods, Mobiline, and Coca-Cola before re-entering the collegiate ranks with National University, serving as the architect of their historic title in UAAP Season 77 in 2014. In addition, he has served as a consultant for Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 Women since 2023 and with the Pilipinas Aguilas in the Women's Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League since 2025.

Now that he's back again in the collegiate ranks, albeit in the women's game, he sees this as an opportunity. Altamirano says about this new role, "I've been involved with women's basketball for the last three years and I fell in love with it. There's this certain challenge to help women's basketball continue its rise, most especially, for my alma mater."

When asked about his hopes and expectations are for the Fighting Maroons, Altamirano shares, "Of course, our long-term plan is to bring UP to the mountaintop. Pero for now, we have to continue taking these many steps to get there. For now, what we want is sustainable competitiveness."

Altamirano replaces Paul Ramos, whose seven-year tenure allowed UP to move up the standings, capped by making the postseason in Season 86. Ramos' final season saw them finish in seventh place with a 3-11 record.

In speaking about Ramos, UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development Bo Perasol shares, "Laking pasasalamat natin kay coach Paul for, as he said, giving seven years of his life to the WBT. Because of him and his staff, the pieces are already in place for us, and it's just up to coach E and his own staff to put it all together,"

Perasol adds, "Confident tayo that UP can be a contender in women's basketball, and we believe we have found the right leader to prove that next season."

To help Altamirano steer the ship, he tapped the following to be his assistants, Jeff Perlas, Paolo Layug, Anton Altamirano, and Mikka Cacho.