Dismay was the feeling of Patrick Aquino after being relieved of his position as Gilas Women program director.
After all, the Philippines is set to host the 2027 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup for the first time.
“In a way, yes, of course. Medyo nanghihinayang,” admitted Aquino, who is now a full-time assistant coach at Blackwater following the Bossing’s 151-95 defeat at the hands of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“For the last time na ginagawa ko to, umaalis kami, and now that we’re here, I wanted to show sana na we can now play at the same level already with the other Asian countries.”
The 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in France marked Aquino’s final campaign as Gilas Women head coach.
The Philippines missed out on a spot in the World Cup later this year after finishing 1-4 in the tournament, losing to France, Germany, South Korea, and Nigeria. Gilas Women’s sole victory came against world No. 19 Colombia.
“And for the fact that the recent performance, we’re not talking about the wins and the losses. We’re talking about the numbers. I’ve been talking about that. That was our goal when we went to France,” he said.
“We’re talking about the numbers. How many points are we going to have? How can we compete with them? And I felt that. We did. We felt we did. Siguro sabihin lang natin na the height disparity, the experience disparity really comes. And for a first timer, I think we had a good run.”
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Gilas Women are now ranked No. 30 in the world — the highest in program history. Moreover, all Gilas Women teams are now in Division A.
It’s the legacy Aquino leaves behind, but for him, it’s a testament to the players who sacrificed for the country.
“For the last 10 years and make it to 30, that’s one for the cap,” he said.
“It’s not just me na ginawa ko yun, but all the girls that have played for the national team. Doon ako nagpapasalamat, doon ako natutuwa kasi sila yung nag-build ng program talaga, not just me.”
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Aquino is hopeful that his successor won’t face the same challenges he encountered.
In recent Gilas campaigns, the team lacked Jack Animam, who was supposed to be the program’s pillar. There were also times when schools did not allow their players to join Gilas. Support was still limited for the women’s program compared to their men’s counterparts.
“As I’ve said kanina, for the girls to sana malagaan na mabuti. Sana buo. I mean, ang dami kasing times na kulang-kulang ako. And then pag nagpractice ka pa, hindi lahat kompleto, and all of those things. But sana, at the same time, nagkaroon ng isang united group of players na magkakasama-sama,” he said.
“Sana, the support would be there for them. And of course, sabi ko nga, sana ma-outgrow yung what we did. And hopefully, yun naman yung talaga walang bias or anything. I want it to really go up pa. Sana magawa nila or whoever’s gonna change me. Just do everything para umangat pa yung Philippines. Huwag lang sayangin na to go back down again. For the longest time, nandito na tayo tapos bababa? Mahirap. Mahirap. As in, you can’t imagine how hard it is going up and coming down and going up again.”
