ML:BB stunner ends SIBOL's Asiad participation

Sibol’s 20th Asian Games campaign came to an abrupt end on Wednesday after a stunning quarterfinal loss to regional rival Indonesia in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports event at Aichi Sky Expo Hall.

The Philippines, represented by the core of three-time MPL Philippines champion Team Liquid, was off to a rough start as Indonesia’s aggressive start repeatedly disrupted Sibol’s plans throughout the series.

“Sobrang dami naming errors and tingin ko hindi namin nalaro ‘yung laro talaga namin. Hindi ko expect na matatalo kami,” said Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno.

The Philippines endured a rough start as Indonesia seized Game 1, 22-19.

Sibol, supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, countered and evened the best-of-three series, 14-5, in Game 2.

But Sibol failed to find its footing in Game 3, as the Indonesians took control and closed out the match, 12-6.

Composing the MLBB squad are Nepomuceno, Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya, Alston “Sanji” Pabico, Jaypee “Jaypee” Dela Cruz, Dave “Teddy” Viana, and Duane “Kelra” Pillas.

Earlier in the day, Sibol’s Identity V squad also saw its Asian Games bid end also in a 0-2 quarterfinals loss to Malaysia.

The losses marked the end of Sibol’s campaign in the Asian Games, with the Philippines’ esports delegation delivering bronze medals in both Honor of Kings and Pokémon UNITE.

SIBOL now in last eight of Asiad ML:BB, Identity V

SIBOL swept its group stage campaign to advance to the quarterfinals of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports event in the 20th Asian Games on Tuesday at Aichi Sky Expo Hall.

The Philippines defeated Jordan, 2-0, early in the day, and shocked Kazakhstan, 2-0, later in the evening.

“Masaya po, pero ’di pa rin kami magpapakampante kasi ’yung next namin na makakalaban is Indonesia, kaya need talaga namin mas galingan pa,” said Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno.

Sibol, which holds a perfect record (2-0) to top Pool C, will face rival Indonesia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 11:50am (Manila time).

Earlier in the day, Sibol bounced back from back-to-back losses to take down Indonesia, 2-1, and advance to the quarterfinals of the Identity V esports event.

After losing Game 1, 3-5, the Philippines made the necessary adjustments and regrouped just in time to pull off a, 5-3, victory in Game 2 and, 7-2 win in Game 3.

Sibol finished third in Pool A and will take on Pool B top seed Malaysia in the quarterfinals.

SIBOL pulls off comeback to snatch Identity V quarterfinal berth

Asian Games

The Philippine esports team Sibol bounced back from a one-set deficit to overcome Indonesia, 2-1, and secure a spot in the quarterfinal round of the Identity V event at the 2026 Asian Games on Tuesday at the Aichi Sky Expo.

Rallying behind key plays from Johanne Juico and Joshua Gumaro, the seven-man Filipino squad dropped the opening set before dominating the next two with scores of 3-5, 5-3, and 7-2.

Sibol clinched qualification with a 1-2 record in Group A, surviving an initial rough stretch that saw them fall 0-2 to Thailand and drop their opener against Chinese Taipei.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s squad, led by Daffa Arafan, was eliminated after three straight losses.

Joining the Philippines from Group A in the quarterfinal round are Thailand and Chinese Taipei. Advance qualifiers from Group B include Malaysia, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

Sibol takes on Group B contender Malaysia in the quarterfinals at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

SIBOL nets Philippines a bronze in Pokumon UNITE

eSports left to right Lance David, Robert Mempin, Ducke Leoncio, coach Albert Camp, PESO President Brian Lim, Kim Rey Salazar, Vaughn Ocio, Lawrence Gatmaitan via POC/PSC Media

SIBOL settled for a bronze medal after a, 0-2, loss to Indonesia in the semifinals of the Pokémon UNITE esports event on Sunday at the Aichi Sky Expo Hall on Sunday.

Backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, the Philippines was poised to take the opening game.

Philippines saw its huge lead got erased as Indonesia seized Kyogre in the final two minutes to mount a comeback, 312-277, in Game 1.

Sibol never regained its footing after the heartbreaking opener.

Riding on the momentum, Indonesia pulled away early, all the way to dominate Game 2, 887-204.

“Actually nung Game 1, sobrang swerte nung kalaban. If you will notice, sobrang low health nung mga kalaban. It’s just that kinapos tayo,” said Sibol Pokémon UNITE head coach Albert Camp.

Despite the semifinal loss, Camp was proud of his team, especially after securing the country’s first-ever esports medal in the Asian Games.

“Still, sobrang happy. I’m still in awe kasi first time and sobrang happy ako sa boys ko kasi nga lifetime na nilang dadalhin ‘to. Na nagdala sila ng medalya para sa bansang Pilipinas,” he said.

Sibol—bannered by Kim Rey Salazar, Michael Vaughn Ocio, Lance David and head coach Albert Camp—couldn’t sustain the momentum of a 2-0 sweep over Hong Kong in the quarterfinals against the Indonesians.

The Filipinos collapsed during the crucial Kyogre fight in both games as the Indonesians ran away with come-from-behind wins.

SIBOL earns QF berth in Pokemon Unite

Sibol’s Pokémon UNITE team completed a remarkable turnaround, sweeping its remaining matches to claim the top spot in Pool A and advance to the quarterfinals of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 at Aichi Sky Expo on Saturday.

After opening its campaign with a disqualification, the Philippine squad bounced back in emphatic fashion, defeating Chinese Taipei and Malaysia by identical 2-0 scores to finish the group stage with a 2-1 record.

The Filipinos were dealt a major setback on Friday when both Sibol and Kazakhstan were disqualified from their opening match because of uniform violations.

Rather than allowing the controversy to derail their campaign, Sibol regrouped and responded with back-to-back victories, putting the team back in contention for a medal and securing the No. 1 seed in Pool A.

Sibol began Saturday by sweeping Chinese Taipei, 2-0, before producing another 2-0 victory over Malaysia for the Team Philippine campaign supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee and Philippine Sports Commission.

“Unfortunately, ‘yun nga, ‘yung nangyari kahapon. Pero binawi namin,” said Sibol Pokémon UNITE head coach Albert Camp. “Heading into the knockout stage, we are really prepared kung sino ‘man ang makakatapat namin sa quarterfinals. ‘Yun, we will still practice and tuloy pa rin kami kung ano ‘yung ginagawa namin para malagpasan namin ang quarterfinals.”

“We are really confident with our bracket for this Asian Games, but we didn’t underestimate our opponents,” Camp added.

Chinese Taipei, which entered its match against Kazakhstan with a 1-1 record, could still tie the Philippines at the top of the standings with a victory.

However, Sibol owns the head-to-head tiebreaker after its win over the Taiwanese side, assuring the Filipinos of the pool’s top seed.

Sibol will next face the winner of the final selection phase between Hong Kong and India in the quarterfinals.

The Philippine esports campaign also saw Karl Gonzalvo bow out of the Puyo Puyo Champions competition after losing to Thailand’s Tanarak Wongkitikun, 2-5, in the quarterfinals.

SIBOL eSports team for SEA Games unveiled

The Captains of SIBOL eSports

The Filipino eSports contingent for the upcoming SEA Games has been unveiled, with 27 making the cut out of the 77-strong training pool to comprise SIBOL and participate at the games.

The athlete breakdown is as follows:

Seven members each for the team-based games: Dota2, Arena of Valor, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

ML:BB - Kenneth Jiane "Kenji" Villa, Karl Gabriel "KarlTzy" Nepomuceno, Carlito "Ribo" Ribo, Jeniel "Haze" Bata-anon, Angelo Kyle "Pheww" Arcangel, Allan Sancio "Lusty" Castromayor, and Jason Rafael "Jay" Torculas.

DoTA 2 - Mc Nicholson "Mc" Villanueva, John Anthony "Natsumi" Vargas, Jun "Bok" Kanehara, Marvin Salvador "Boomy" Rushton, Bryle Jacob "CML" Alvizo, Van Jerico "Van" Manalaysay, and James Erice "Erice" Guerra

Arena of Valor - Kevin Kio "Gambit" Dizon, Jeremiah "1717" Camarillo, Jevan Lorenzo "Bents" Delos Santos, Lawrence Anthony "Rubixx" Gatmaitan, Miguel Klarenz "Miggie" Banaag, Bradie Ryan "Yats" Velasquez, and Kyle Jepherson "Vindiicated" Padlan

Two members each for the remaining games: StarCraft II, Hearthstone, Tekken 7

StarCraft II - Justin "NuksPH" Santos and Caviar "Enderr" Acampado

Hearthstone - Dustin "WaningMoon" Mangulabnan and Jacinta "Jia" Dee

Tekken 7 - Andreij Hosea "Doujin" Albar and Alexandre Gabrielle "AK" Laverez

With the lineups finalized, the focus is now on training and coaching them in order for each one to be ready to claim the gold medal, embodying the "Lakad Matatag" mentality.

Aside from the announcement, the Philippine Southeast Asian Games eSports Union (PSEU) also revealed that SMART is the official presenter of SIBOL, while Razer is set to assist with the team's training and preparation. The global gaming manufacturer is the official eSports partner for the SEA Games.

Smart Communications President Alfredo S. Panlilio shares, "eSports in the SEA Games is not just about making history; it is about building the foundation for all our young Filipinos who aspire to represent our country on a world stage. The athletes of Sibol are not just pioneers, they are our country’s pride. We at Smart wholly support our athletes in their SEA Games journey."