Perlas five, lady golfers in SEAG

THE PHILIPPINE women’s basketball and golf teams finally got the green light to compete in the 27th Southeast Asian Games in Burma (Myanmar) next month.

Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia announced yesterday the decision of the SEA Games Task Force to include both squads in the national delegation for the Dec. 11 to 22 Games after recent solid forms.

Known as Perlas Pilipinas, the national women’s basketball squad made it despite failing to advance to Level 1 of the recent Fiba Asia Women’s Championship.

Winding up with a 3-2 record, the Philippines placed joint third with Indonesia in Level 2 of the Asian event held in Bangkok.

Perlas Pilipinas, which brought home a silver medal in the 2011 Games in Indonesia, lost to SEA Games rivals Indonesia and Malaysia during the Asian meet.

“Our women’s basketball team can make a go for the gold,” said Garcia.

The lady golfers, meanwhile, earned slots in the delegation after an impressive performance by Princess Superal in the recent ICTSI Camp John Hay Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.

Superal staked her claim as the country’s finest amateur following a whopping eight-stroke win over pro Chihiro Ikeda in the Baguio tourney.

Superal will be joined by Clare Legaspi and Katrina Briones in the team with Pauline del Rosario, Daniela Uy and Bianca Pagdanganan as alternates.

“I think if they play the way they played in Baguio, we can win a gold,” said Garcia, who approved the participation of both teams after arriving from a sports conference in Monaco.