Philippines women's national basketball team
| FIBA ranking | 39 5 (August 8, 2025)[1] | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Joined FIBA | 1936 | ||
| FIBA zone | FIBA Asia | ||
| National federation | SBP | ||
| Coach | Patrick Aquino | ||
| Nickname | Gilas Pilipinas | ||
| Asia Cup | |||
| Appearances | 18 | ||
| Asian Games | |||
| Appearances | 2 | ||
|
| |||
The Philippines women's national basketball team is managed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
The women's national team is starting to receive more attention from local basketball enthusiasts. The current roster consists of a mix of players from the UAAP, NCAA Philippines, the Women’s Maharlika Professional Basketball League, the Australian NBL, the US NCAA, and professional leagues in Europe and Asia. The women's national team has been playing in Division A of the FIBA Asia Championship for Women for the past few editions of the tournament and is the highest-ranked team in Southeast Asia.
History
Early history
Women's basketball in the Philippines dates back as early as the 1910s. Basketball was first introduced to the Philippine public school system by the Americans as a women's sort in 1910 and was played in Interscholastic meets in 1911 until 1913. The sport used by Americans to promote good health and motherhood and citizenry grew in popularity among women. Women's basketball met opposition from conservative groups, particularly the Catholic Church who view bloomers worn by women basketball players as inappropriate. By the time skirts were allowed to be worn above bloomers as a compromise, women's basketball is already in the decline and is only played in provincial and local interscholastic meets. Indoor softball and as well as volleyball became the more preferred sport for Filipino women.[2]
BAP era
The women's national team was organized by the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP), which was the recognized national sports association for basketball in the Philippines.
The last national team under BAP before its suspension was the team mentored by head coach Raymond Celis who was preparing the Philippine women's national team for the 2005 SEA Games.[3][4] The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) superseded the BAP in 2007.
SBP era (2007–present)
Perlas Pilipinas 1.0 (2007–2015)
On 2007, Discovery Suites, a hotel brand, became the main sponsor of the women's national team.[5] On 2008, Haydee Ong was appointed as head coach of the women's national team[6] replacing Matthew "Fritz" Gaston, who guided the team to a bronze medal finish at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand and a silver medal finish at the 2007 SEABA Championship for Women.[7] Under Ong, the team won the gold medal at the 2010 SEABA Championship for Women, the country's first medal at the said tournament. The team previously won silver during the 1995, 1997, and 2007 editions of the tournament.
However by February 2015, the team backed Discovery Suites was disbanded which the sponsor insisted was done without explanation.[8]
Perlas Pilipinas 2.0 (2015–2019)
The SBP appointed Patrick Aquino as the new head coach of the national team. His first task will be to guide the national team at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games. Ever Bilena Cosmetics, Inc. has been made the new sponsor of the national team.[9][10] SBP executive director Sonny Barrios pointed out the decision to make changes in the coaching staff of the women's team was made after discussions among members of the search and screening committee, which is composed of several basketball stakeholders.[11]
In a historic run, Perlas officially promoted in the Level 1 of the FIBA Asia Women's Championships that will held in 2017, after the win against India, 82–76.[12]
Gilas Pilipinas Women (2019–present)
In May 2019, the SBP announced that the Gilas Pilipinas name would be used across all its sporting programs for the men's, men's youth (men's under-19 and men's under-17), men's 3x3 and women's teams.[13][14] Aquino assumed responsibility over the Gilas Pilipinas Women program.
Gilas Women attained their best finish at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup in the 2023 edition. They avoided the relegation playoff for the very first time by at least one group stage game at the expense of Chinese Taipei – also their first group stage win since their promotion to the first division in 2015.[15][16] They finished sixth overall in a tournament of eight teams.[17]
In August 2024, they would take part in the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Rwanda, their first ever non-FIBA Asia competition.[18][19]
Uniform
Adidas is the official outfitter of the Philippine national team program which includes the women's team since May 2025.[20][21]
- Manufacturer
- 2025–present: Adidas
Fixtures and results
- 2025 results
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Venue | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 July | Chinese Taipei Blue | L | 59–85 | Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, Taipei, Taiwan | 2025 William Jones Cup |
| 3 July | Thailand | W | 83–66 | Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, Taipei, Taiwan | 2025 William Jones Cup |
| 4 July | South Korea | L | 58–80 | Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, Taipei, Taiwan | 2025 William Jones Cup |
| 6 July | Japan Universiade | L | 74–94 | Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, Taipei, Taiwan | 2025 William Jones Cup |
| 7 July | WUG CTUSF Training | L | 57–76 | Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, Taipei, Taiwan | 2025 William Jones Cup |
| 13 July | Australia | L | 39–115 | Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, Shenzhen, China | 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup |
| 14 July | Japan | L | 82–85 | Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, Shenzhen, China | 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup |
| 16 July | Lebanon | W | 73–70 | Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, Shenzhen, China | 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup |
| 18 July | New Zealand | L | 71–78 | Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, Shenzhen, China | 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup |
Medal count
| Event | Editions | 1st edition | Total | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tot. | |||||||
| FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Olympic Games | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FIBA Women's Asia Cup | 16 | 1965 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Asian Games | 2 | 1998 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| SEABA Championship for Women | 7 | 1995 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| Southeast Asian Games | 18 | 1981 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 14 |
Competitions
World Cup
| The Philippines' FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Position | Pld | W | L | |||||
| 1953 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 1957 | |||||||||
| 1959 | |||||||||
| 1964 | |||||||||
| 1967 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 1971 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 1975 | |||||||||
| 1979 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 1983 | |||||||||
| 1986 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 1990 | |||||||||
| 1994 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 1998 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 2002 | |||||||||
| 2006 | Suspended | ||||||||
| 2010 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2014 | |||||||||
| 2018 | |||||||||
| 2022 | |||||||||
| 2026 | |||||||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
Olympic Games
| The Philippines' Olympic Games Record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Position | Pld | W | L | |||||
| 1976 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 1980 | Boycotted | ||||||||
| 1984 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 1988 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 1992 | |||||||||
| 1996 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2000 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 2004 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2008 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 2012 | |||||||||
| 2016 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2020 | |||||||||
| 2024 | |||||||||
| 2028 | To be determined | ||||||||
| 2032 | |||||||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
Asia Cup
| The Philippines' Asian Cup Record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Division A | Division B | |||||||
| Position | Pld | W | L | Position | Pld | W | L | ||
| 1965 | 4th place | 8 | 2 | 6 | No Division B / Level II | ||||
| 1968 | 6th place | 7 | 2 | 5 | |||||
| 1970 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 1972 | |||||||||
| 1974 | |||||||||
| 1976 | 6th place | 6 | 1 | 5 | |||||
| 1978 | 8th place | 8 | 2 | 6 | |||||
| 1980 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 1982 | 8th place | 4 | 1 | 3 | |||||
| 1984 | 4th place | 8 | 4 | 4 | |||||
| 1986 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 1988 | |||||||||
| 1990 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 1992 | No Division B / Level II | ||||||||
| 1994 | 10th place | Level II | 5th place | 5 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 1995 | 9th place | 3rd place | 5 | 3 | 2 | ||||
| 1997 | Did not participate | Did not participate | |||||||
| 1999 | |||||||||
| 2001 | |||||||||
| 2004 | 8th place | Level II | 3rd place | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 2005 | 11th place | 6th place | 5 | 1 | 4 | ||||
| 2007 | Did not participate | Did not participate | |||||||
| 2009 | 10th place | Level II | 4th place | 5 | 3 | 2 | |||
| 2011 | Did not participate | Did not participate | |||||||
| 2013 | 10th place | Level II | 4th place | 5 | 3 | 2 | |||
| 2015 | 7th place | 1st place | 6 | 5 | 1 | ||||
| 2017 | 7th place | 6 | 1 | 5 | Division A | ||||
| 2019 | 7th place | 4 | 1 | 3 | No Division B | ||||
| 2021 | 7th place | 4 | 1 | 3 | Division A | ||||
| 2023 | 6th place | 5 | 1 | 4 | |||||
| 2025 | 6th place | 5 | 1 | 4 | |||||
| 2027 | Qualified as hosts | Division A | |||||||
| Total | 65 | 17 | 48 | 34 | 18 | 16 | |||
Asian Games
| The Philippines' Asian Games Record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Position | Pld | W | L | |||||
| 1974 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 1978 | |||||||||
| 1982 | |||||||||
| 1986 | |||||||||
| 1990 | |||||||||
| 1994 | |||||||||
| 1998 | 6th place | 3 | 0 | 3 | |||||
| 2002 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 2006 | Suspended | ||||||||
| 2010 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 2014 | |||||||||
| 2018[22] | |||||||||
| 2022 | 5th place | 4 | 2 | 2 | |||||
| 2026 | To be determined | ||||||||
| Total | 7 | 2 | 5 | ||||||
SEABA Championship
| The Philippines' Southeast Asian Championship Record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Position | Pld | W | L | |||||
| 1995 | 2nd place | ||||||||
| 1997 | 2nd place | ||||||||
| 1999 | 3rd place | ||||||||
| 2002 | 3rd place | ||||||||
| 2004 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 2007 | 2nd place | 6 | 5 | 1 | |||||
| 2010 | 1st place | 5 | 5 | 0 | |||||
| 2014 | Did not participate | ||||||||
| 2016 | 1st place | 6 | 6 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 2 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze | 16–1 (Incomplete) | |||||||
Southeast Asian Games
| The Philippines' Southeast Asian Games Record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Position | Pld | W | L | |||||
| 1977 | Did not enter | ||||||||
| 1979 | did not enter | ||||||||
| 1981 | 2nd place | 5 | 3 | 2 | |||||
| 1983 | 2nd place | 4 | 3 | 1 | |||||
| 1985 | 2nd place | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||
| 1987 | 3rd place | 5 | 3 | 2 | |||||
| 1989 | 4th place | 4 | 1 | 3 | |||||
| 1991 | 4th place | 6 | 3 | 3 | |||||
| 1993 | 5th place | 4 | 0 | 4 | |||||
| 1995 | 2nd place | 6 | 4 | 2 | |||||
| 1997 | 4th place | 5 | 2 | 3 | |||||
| 1999 | Not held | ||||||||
| 2001 | 3rd place | 4 | 2 | 2 | |||||
| 2003 | 3rd place | 5 | 3 | 2 | |||||
| 2005 | Suspended | ||||||||
| 2007 | 3rd place | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| 2009 | Not held | ||||||||
| 2011 | 2nd place | 4 | 3 | 1 | |||||
| 2013 | 2nd place | 4 | 3 | 1 | |||||
| 2015 | 4th place | 5 | 3 | 2 | |||||
| 2017 | 4th place | 6 | 4 | 2 | |||||
| 2019 | 1st place | 3 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 2021 | 1st place | 5 | 4 | 1 | |||||
| 2023 | 2nd place | 6 | 5 | 1 | |||||
| 2025 | 1st place | 4 | 4 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 3 gold, 7 silver, 5 bronze | 91 | 56 | 35 | |||||
Other tournaments
| The Philippines' Other tournaments Record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament | Position | Pld | W | L | |||||
| 2011 Discovery Women's Invitational | 1st place | 4 | 4 | 0 | |||||
| 2013 Discovery Women's Invitational | 1st place | 4 | 4 | 0 | |||||
| 2015 Discovery Women's Invitational | 1st place | 4 | 4 | 0 | |||||
| 2019 William Jones Cup | 6th place[23] | 5 | 0 | 5 | |||||
| 2023 William Jones Cup | 5th place | 5 | 1 | 4 | |||||
| 2024 William Jones Cup | 4th place | 5 | 2 | 3 | |||||
| 2025 William Jones Cup | 5th place | 5 | 1 | 4 | |||||
Team
Current roster
Roster for the 2025 SEA Games.[24][25]
| Philippines women's national basketball team roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Past rosters
- Note: Olympics, World Championships (World Cup), Asian Championships (Asia Cup), Asian Games and SEA Games only.
| 2010–2019 |
|---|
| 2020–present |
|---|
Coaches
- Arlene Rodriguez[29] (1989)
- Ricardo Roces[30] (c. 1997)
- Arturo Cristobal[31] (1999)
- Fritz Gaston (2003, 2007)
- Raymond Celis (2005)
- Haydee Ong (2008–2014)
- Patrick Aquino (2015–present)
References
- ^ "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. August 8, 2025. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
- ^ Antolihao, Lou (2015). "Spheroid of Influence: Sports, Colonization, Modernity – Ballers in Bloomers:Sports, Gender, Participation". Playing with the Big Boys: Basketball, American Imperialism, and Subaltern Discourse in the Philippines (Illustrated ed.). University of Nebraska Pres. ISBN 978-0803278516. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
- ^ "Celis new RP women's head coach". Philippine Daily Inquirer. January 21, 2005. p. A24. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ "Chot to conduct women's team tryouts tomorrow". Philippine Daily Inquirer. June 5, 2005. p. A22. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ De Leon, Job (April 11, 2014). "A league of their own: Discovery-Perlas and women's basketball in the Philippines". GMA News. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
- ^ Velasco, Bill (March 3, 2008). "No longer the poor sisters". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
- ^ Olivares, Rick (February 12, 2017). "SBP at 10". Bleacher's Brew. BusinessMirror. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ^ Terrado, Reuben (February 12, 2015). "Perlas Pilipinas manager cries foul over SBP decision to disband national women's cage team, call for new tryouts". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ Terrado, Reuben (January 22, 2015). "NU coach Patrick Aquino to call shots for PH women's basketball team in SEA Games". Sport Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
- ^ Terrado, Reuben (February 12, 2015). "Perlas Pilipinas manager cries foul over SBP decision to disband national women's cage team, call for new tryouts". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ^ Terrado, Reuben (February 14, 2015). "SBP's Barrios says revamp of women's cage program, Perlas disbandment went through proper process". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ^ Terrado, Reuben; Ramos, Gerry (September 7, 2015). "Perlas Pilipinas finds SEA Games letdown a major motivation for Fiba-Asia success". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ^ Leyba, Olmin (May 9, 2019). "It's all Gilas Pilipinas for SBP programs". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
- ^ "SBP restructures, unveils new Gilas Pilipinas logo". ESPN5. May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ Dalupang, Denison Rey A. (July 1, 2023). "Pat Aquino sees big impact of Fiba Asia feat on Gilas Women program". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "Gilas Women avoid relegation after breakthrough win vs. Chinese Taipei in FIBA Asia Cup". CNN Philippines. June 28, 2023. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "Gilas Women finish sixth overall in FIBA Asia Cup". GMA News. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ Villanueva, Ralph Edwin (August 22, 2024). "Gilas women fall to Senegalese, end bid in FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers". The Philippine Star. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ "Gilas Women set to compete outside FIBA Asia borders for first time in history". The Manila Times. August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ Bacnis, Justine (May 9, 2025). "Adidas named new outfitter of Gilas Pilipinas". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
- ^ Bacnis, Justine (May 9, 2025). "Gilas Women to debut adidas jerseys at FIBA Asia Cup". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
- ^ Ventura, Sid (June 7, 2018). "Patrick Aquino wants his women's team to show their worth in FIBA 3x3 World Cup". ESPN. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- ^ Li, Matthew (April 30, 2019). "Patrick Aquino faces good problem as Perlas Pilipinas has stacked pool". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ Terrado, Jonas (December 4, 2025). "Gilas Women tap Sophia Dignadice for SEA Games gold chase". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ Dannug, Jonash (December 4, 2025). "Teens Sarah Heyn, Sophia Dignadice join Gilas Women vets for SEAG". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ 2013 squad
- ^ |tab=roster Team Philippines – 2015 FIBA Asia Women's Championship
- ^ 2025 squad
- ^ Sidayao, Tony; Angeles, Manny (April 11, 1989). "PBA offers Paras et al to nat'l five". Manila Standard. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ Mallari, Riera (August 15, 1997). "Victory in defeat for RP cagebelles". E & S Philippine Journal. 1 (XXII): 4.
- ^ "Seaba bets". Manila Standard. June 5, 1999. p. A11. Retrieved September 27, 2025.