Nat Geo documents Filipinos’ love for basketball

MANILA, Philippines – American author Rafe Bartholomew described Filipino basketball as, “a coping mechanism but expression of indefatigable spirit.”

Rafe is the host for the upcoming documentary of National Geographic Channel titled “Pinoy Hoops.”

He said this parting line on the first episode of the documentary that was viewed by the press Tuesday night, Oct. 8, at Maxim’s Hotel.

So during the press conference, he explained his statement saying that the Filipinos’ desire and love for basketball symbolizes in a way their outlook in life.

“That ingenuity, the ability to innovate and come up with solutions when you don’t have a lot in life — I think that’s very Pinoy,” he said.

Rafe had been in the country for three years for a scholarship and to work on his book “Pacific Rims,” which is about Filipinos’ love for basketball.

The book was released in 2010, which, according to STAR sports columnist Bill Velasco — the brains behind the documentary — is the same time he’s proposing this project to Jude Turcuato, head of FOX International Channels in Philippines.

“It was more or less providential,” Velasco recalled. “At the time this project was pushing through, Pacific Rims was there and Rafe just happened to become Filipino along the way, Filipino enough to love basketball and now he’s interested in learning more about it.”

Though they started filming the documentary in May 2011 and were done with it in a few months, they we’re not able to air it immediately.

“It took a while because they had to get the story right,” Turcuato explained. “We also needed approval from our Washington DC office. Also fact checking, lahat nang sinabi ni Rafe at lahat ng nasa script no’n had to be scrutinized by the National Geographic Society in Washington DC.”

“Everything that’s sanctioned by Nat geo should be factual in everything. Even the part where we have to do the scene with the NPA, we had to make sure that our statements are not rumors, not hearsay and were backed by articles.”

For the first episode, Rafe went to places where people play basketball on the street. There he witnessed how a underprivileged community turns to basketball to avoid vices, or how two conflicting factions unite because of basketball, or how they find a way just to be able to play the game.

Some places they visited are Caloocan, Paete Laguna and Payatas.

For the two other episodes, they will be focusing more on professional basketball and on people whose lives revolved around the sport.

“Pinoy Hoops” will be airing on Oct. 21 at the National Geographic Channel.