After stepping away from Gilas Pilipinas’ 21-man pool for the FIBA World Cup due to a right knee injury, Poy Erram thought his chapter with the Philippine men’s basketball team had come to an end.
The bruiser center for TNT had walked away from national team duty in 2023, content that he had given everything to the program without a grand farewell — simply accepting that it was time to pass the torch.
However, when the country needed him again, Erram did not hesitate to answer the call.
With back-to-back NCAA MVP Allen Liwag sidelined by a shoulder injury, the door opened for Erram to don the national team colors once more at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
For someone who had already called time on his Gilas career, the decision to return could have been complicated — yet it came instinctively.
Relying on that instinct, Erram flew to Thailand a day before the Philippines opened its title-defense campaign, joining a frontline that included Jamie Malonzo, Abu Tratter, and UAAP standouts Veejay Pre and Cedrick Manzano.
Other players in the lineup featured fellow former Blue Eagles Von Pessumal, Justin Chua, and Thirdy Ravena, alongside Bobby Ray Parks Jr., Matthew Wright, Robert Bolick, and Dalph Panopio.
“Hindi ko alam kung ano nangyari, pero happy na nandito ako to represent the country again,” the 6-foot-8 center told reporters following the Philippines’ 83-58 win over Malaysia to open the 2025 SEA Games on Sunday afternoon at Nimbutr Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
“I can help, and I will, kahit ano na matutulong ko sa kanila. I am happy na nandito ako at basta may maitulong ako,” he added.
The three-time PBA champion admitted he had practiced under the guidance of head coach Norman Black — his former mentor during his UAAP days with Ateneo de Manila University — throughout the team’s buildup to the SEA Games.
Erram, however, did not expect that the organizing committee would approve the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’ request to replace Liwag with him, especially since the team had already flown out to Thailand last Thursday.
Still, despite the initial overwhelm that came with the last-minute call-up, Erram is glad to wear the Gilas jersey again, armed with a refreshed mindset and a renewed vision: doing whatever it takes to bring home the Philippines’ record-extending 20th SEA Games 5-on-5 basketball title.
