Fans form a long queue outside Philippine Arena for the opening of the Fiba World Cup. -MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
BOCAUE, Bulacan—In the middle of a packed and humid upper box lobby, Boogie Corpuz was wearing a Jordan Clarkson jersey and stood out among the crowd.
While everyone was either busy lining up at concession stands or beelining toward the arena, Corpuz was taking his sweet, sweet time just relishing the moment, taking selfies all the while.
Like a meticulous mathematician, he had already calculated that the influx of fans arriving at Philippine Arena here would be mind-bogglingly high.
He was right.
“Gano’n talaga. (That’s how it is) It’s also for us to reach the Angola and Italy game and for our trip to be worthwhile,” said Corpuz, who was treated to an entertaining game won by Group A favorite Italy, in Filipino.
Unlike other Gilas faithful, though, Corpuz was more than inclined to trust the process.
From “16-man strong” to the final 12, coach Chot Reyes had to make some really hard decisions that he himself considered the “deepest cuts.”
But despite that, Corpuz still believes that Gilas still stands for something. Corpuz still believes that the same “Puso” battlecry can propel the team to greatness once more.
After all, it’s in the Filipino blood.
“For me, we have a decent Final 12. The best thing we can do though, is to cheer up our team and trust the coaches’ decisions so we can support Gilas,” he said.
“In basketball, even if we have strong opponents on the other team, we help each other out. It’s really in our hearts as Filipinos to come together so for me, we can beat them. It’s possible.”
Corpuz could’ve just gone about his day as a business owner but his love for Gilas just won’t let him.
Instead of just watching the game in the comforts of his home, Corpuz swarmed the Philippine Arena to be part of the 38,115 fans that set the attendance record in a Fiba game.
“As long as I support the country that I grew up in, my travel here is okay,” said Corpuz.
“It won’t get away from us, the ‘puso.’ Wherever you bring us Filipinos, your heart will always prevail.”
Gilas ended up losing a heartbreaker to the Dominicans, 87-81, in a game the Filipinos had a golden opportunity to claim an upset.