PETALING JAYA, Malaysia — SIBOL Honor of Kings head coach Gerald Gelacio believes the Philippines’ unique domestic ecosystem could become one of its biggest advantages after the national team opened its campaign in the 2026 Asian Games Qualifiers with a dominant 2-0 sweep of Pakistan at the Petaling Jaya Marriott Hotel.
The victory provided an early validation of the chemistry and cohesion Gelacio has repeatedly emphasized heading into the tournament, with the Philippines joining Indonesia atop Group A following the opening round of matches.
While several neighboring countries continue to integrate foreign talent into their professional leagues, Gelacio pointed out that the Philippine scene remains largely homegrown — a factor that has allowed the national team to build chemistry much earlier than many of its regional rivals.
“Para sa Pilipinas may advantage yun eh kasi nga wala tayong import sa Philippines Kings League. Buo na talaga yung synergy. Parang pinapalakas na lang natin compared halimbawa sa Malaysia and Indonesia na may mga import sa kanya-kanyang liga,” said Gelacio.
“Kami, yun yung advantage namin. Sila mag-aadjust pa sila kung ano yung magiging result nila sa practices and scrims.”
For Gelacio, the continuity among Filipino players allows SIBOL to spend less time developing familiarity and more time fine-tuning strategies ahead of international competition.
That established chemistry has also fueled confidence within the coaching staff as the Philippines prepares for Asian Games qualification in November this year.
“Sobrang confident namin na for us 100 percent sure na makakapasok kami sa main stage ng Asian Games,” he said.
“Kahit baguhan yung ibang teams, hindi namin mamaliitin yung mga kalaban. For me, pag nagawa namin nang maayos yung pinractice at pinaghandaan namin, 100 percent sure makakapasok tayo ng Asian Games.”
Despite the promise, Gelacio acknowledged that the Philippines is still relatively new to the game compared to some of the region’s strongest teams, which may well be their biggest obstacle on the road to the Asian Games.
“Dito naman sa HOK, right now mga two years pa lang mula nung na-release dito sa Pinas. Compared sa ibang countries na eight to 11 years na kaya sobrang nagdodominate talaga sila,” Gelacio explained.
“Ngayon humahabol tayo pero I think for me, kulang pa right now.”
Still, he believes the Philippines has emerged as one of the fastest-learning regions in the international Honor of Kings scene.
“Isa naman tayo sa tinitingnan ng ibang teams ngayon kasi tayo yung pinakamabilis din maka-adapt compared sa ibang region.”
And if everything goes according to plan, the veteran coach believes a podium finish is well within reach.
“Personally, if wala man mangyari talaga na masama sa performance natin, for me pinakamababa na natin is bronze,” said Gelacio of the country’s chances for a podium finish on the main stage.
“Depende rin talaga sa magiging takbo ng gameplay namin.”
