ANTIPOLO — Dalph Panopio did not expect Gilas Pilipinas to come knocking on his door six years after donning the national colors in the youth level.
But the Blackwater rookie is nonetheless grateful for the opportunity to do so again after he became one of the pieces that completed the 12-man team bound for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, which commences next week.
“I was surprised,” he told Tiebreaker Times. “I was excited, I was happy — a lot of emotions. I’m so thankful to represent the country again. I can’t wait.
“Now I’m having double practices, but I really don’t mind because it really matters to me,” he added.
“It’s a big sacrifice that I’m willing to make.”
Panopio was among those whom the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas reached out to at a time it couldn’t finalize the men’s lineup for the biennial meet due to the Thai organizing committee’s flip-flopping player eligibility rules.
With the full blessing of his mother team, the 25-year-old — together with Bossing teammate Abu Tratter — came on loan to the squad of Coach Norman Black, paving the way for his return to the Gilas program after over half a decade.
The Italy-born floor general was among the standouts of a special Batang Gilas batch, which steered the program to a historic appearance in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup back in 2019.
Fast forward to now, and he’s ready to make his debut in the senior level as a member of a team tasked to defend the country’s men’s basketball kingship in the regional contest, which returns to Thailand after 18 long years.
Thailand actually has a special place in his heart. It was where he and the Philippine youth team made history, booking a ticket to the Under-19 Worlds following a semifinal finish in the FIBA U18 Asian Championship in 2018.
That, of course, adds to his excitement, but what Panopio’s really relishing is his experiences thus far working with his ‘kuyas’ and being under Black’s tutelage.
“It’s been a helluva experience, you know, playing with Robert [Bolick], [Von] Pessumal, [Matthew] Wright, Abu,” he said as those players he mentioned were already in the seniors team during his Batang Gilas days.
“These are helluva players, they’re guiding me towards the right path. Coach Norman is a great coach — even if we’ve had our fourth practice, you can see how ‘yung union of these quality players actually makes a big difference.”
Some fans and pundits believe that the upcoming games could be a chance for the others, such as Panopio, to show that they also deserve to be called up for the A-team of Coach Tim Cone, and the former knows it, too.
But that’s hardly thinking about any of that, as he has already set his sights on one thing only: giving the Philippines its 20th SEAG men’s basketball crown.
“For sure. It’s an opportunity … I’m aware of the people watching, but at the end of the day, it’s what I’m gonna bring to the game, and what matters to me is actually bringing the gold back to the country,” he said.
“I know we have to show our talent, but if I gotta get an extra pass to Matthew Wright or Robert Bolick… they’re gonna bring it to us.
“Really great players, I really admire them all, especially seeing them in person and practicing with them, it’s different,” Panopio closed, smiling.
#WATCH: I DIDN’T EXPECT IT
Dalph Panopio is excited to don the Gilas jersey once more for #SEAGames2025 after doing so in 2019 for Gilas Boys’ 🏀🇵🇭#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/NytAW2moWB
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/Ki7q5xgbw5
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) December 6, 2025
