Manila, Philippines – Philippine national esports team, Sibol, officially kicks off its campaign en route to the 32nd SEA Games set to take place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from May 5-17, 2023.
In a press briefing hosted by the Philippine Esports Organization (PESO), the team officially launched its Sibol 2023 Campaign with a new hashtag, #TaonNgTagumpay which will encompass all other Sibol campaigns for 2023 such as the Asian Games and International Esports Federation Championships. PESO also gave updates on team Sibol’s training journey for the 32nd SEA Games and unveiled the official 2023 jersey.
“This year, we’re gunning for more titles, more medals, and more wins for Sibol. The team has been training relentlessly and I’m confident we’ll continue making legacies for Filipinos in the global esports map,” says PESO executive director Marlon Marcelo.
PESO is the country’s national governing body for esports and is the official organization that qualifies, trains, and sends Filipino esports athletes to international competitions such as the SEA Games and Asian Games.
It has been a member of the International Esports Federation (IESF) since 2012 and regular member of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) since 2022. Powered by Smart, Sibol debuted in the 30th SEA Games and has since then secured other major sponsors including RealMe, PLDT, Cignal, TV5, and Acer Predator.
“It’s an honor to support dedicated and talented athletes that train tirelessly to represent our country. We have always believed in their capabilities to dominate the global esports world, we’re optimistic that Sibol will continue to become legendary in the global esports world,” says Ralph Andrei Llabares, Sibol Overall Headcoach.
Present at the press briefing were MLBB Women’s team captain Mery Christine Vivero and coach Abraham Unida, MLBB Men captain Angelo Arcangel and coach Francis John Glindro, Wildrift coach Van Matthew Alfonso and team member Chammy Paul Nazarrea, PUBG coaches Ans Clarth Rago and Ralph Rommel Tuason and team captains Abdul Barode and Ryan Canlas, Valorant team captain Jose Carlo Jamir and coach Jose Eduardo Jamir, and Crossfire captain John Kenneth Alde and coach Braden Francis Catangay.
32nd SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
After weeks of several qualifiers, Sibol completed its roster last March 2023 with a total of 47 athletes and 7 coaches to represent the country at the upcoming biennial regional sports meet. Sibol will field 7 medal events at the 32nd SEA Games: League of Legends: Wild Rift, PUBG Mobile Team and Individual, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (men), Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (women), Crossfire, and Valorant. The first batch of delegates is scheduled to fly to Hanoi on the first week of May.
Sibol general manager Jab Escutin, who trained the 2022 Sibol delegates, spearheads the training for the new roster of athletes.
“We really wanted to have the best players for Team Sibol and the intense tryouts made sure of that. We may have come from different teams playing different titles previously, but now we are united by the shared goal of defending and winning more gold medals,” says Escutin.
Escutin also adds that they are grateful to be backed by their sponsors – Smart, PLDT, Realme, Acer Predator, TV5, Cignal and Hotel 101
Sibol is set to defend its gold medals in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and League of Legends: Wild Rift. Last year, Sibol also took home silver medals in League of Legends (PC) and Crossfire. In the overall esports division, Sibol placed third, with Vietnam at the top spot followed by Indonesia.
For more updates, visit Philippine Esports Organization and Sibol’s official Facebook pages.
