Chot Reyes  

A Manila congressman has defended the Filipino basketball fans' act of criticizing the Gilas Pilipinas' coaching staff, saying they have "the right to seek accountability". 

“Yes, the Pinoy basketball fans are taxpayers, and that gives them the right to seek accountability from the Gilas coaches and players and from the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP)," Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua said in a statement Sunday, Sept. 3. 

"Add to that the fact that the Pinoy fans shelled out hard-earned cash to buy those expensive tickets to watch the FIBAWC games live and to subscribe to pay-per-view on cable TV,” Chua said. 

The solon made these remarks as Gilas scored its first and only win in the FIBA World Cup Saturday against rival China, 96 to 75. After the game held in Manila, head coach Chot Reyes--who has received much of the social media slagging over his team's performance in the tournament--announced that he was stepping down from the Gilas program. 

“Aside from these financial factors, there is also that unwritten covenant between Team Gilas and the fans. That Gilas coaches and players do their best. Pinoy basketball fans know underperformance when they see it," Chua said. 

"There must still be accountability, which should also come with transparency,” he underscored. 

Putting his basketball cap on, the Manila solon said that Gilas Pilipinas "needs new management and new-generation coaches with deep international experience. Anything less would not suffice.” 

“The country needs a visionary, transparent development plan and an action plan for the Paris Olympics that includes more preparation time, more time together for the players, and more cooperation from support institutions,” he also said.