The Philippine team once again proved its basketball dominance in the region with an emphatic sweep of the 7th Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) championship in Ratchaburi, Thailand from 24 to 28 May 2007, en route to winning the championship trophy and a ticket to the FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship.

The powerhouse PILIPINAS team, composed of professional cagers including the 6-foot-7 versatile forward Danny Seigle of San Miguel Beer, the 6-foot-9 mammoth center Asi Taulava of Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals, and Mark Caguioa of Barangay Ginebra, blazed its SEABA campaign with an impressive start. 

In the opening game on 25 May, the Filipinos routed the Singaporeans, 122-55.  In the succeeding matches, they thrashed the Indonesians with an 85-48 win and later dashed the hopes of defending champion Malaysia, 102-72.

The highlight was an exciting court battle between the Filipino and the Thai cagers.  The host Thais, playing with a 1-2 win-loss card after suffering humbling defeats in the hands of the Indonesian and Malaysian squads, put up a stronger show of might against the RP contingent. Their determination dealt the Philippine team some scare in the first half, to lead the end of the first quarter with 23-24.

But they did not have things all their own way. The RP cagers, cheered by the Filipino community in Ratchaburi, rained down a succession of three-pointers, power-plays and fast-breaks in the third and fourth quarters to keep the Thais at bay. The Filipinos sealed the match with a score of 96-76.

Ambassador Antonio Rodriguez led members of the Embassy and the Filipino community in Bangkok to Ratchaburi, some 100 kilometers west of the capital Bangkok, to show support for the RP Team.

The Philippines, together with Indonesia which bagged the runner-up trophy, will represent SEABA in the forthcoming FIBA Asia Men's Championship to be held in Tokushima, Japan from 28 July to 5 August 2007.

Filipino crowd brandish Philippine flags at the sound of the final buzzer during the RP Team's win over Thailand on 28 May, en route to a sweep of the 7th SEABA Championship.

RP Team center Asi Taulava holds the SEABA Champions' trophy with the other members of the Philippine squad.

Embassy personnel led by Ambassador Antonio V. Rodriguez (extreme right, donning a yellow shirt) join members of the Filipino community in Ratchaburi in cheering for the RP Team.

The Philippines
Office of the President
Department of Foreign Affairs
Department of Trade & Industry
Department of Tourism
Philippine Media
° The Manila Bulletin Online
° The Philippine Daily Inquirer
° The Philippine Star

Thailand
Office of the Premier
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Thai Media
° Bangkok Post
° The Nation