MANILA, Philippines - Gilas Pilipinas player Marc Pingris had always wanted to take his annual vacation in France to meet up with his father, Jean Marc Pingris Sr., whom he had only met back in 2007. For the past two years, however, he has been unable to do so ever since he was selected by head coach Chot Reyes to play for the national team.
“Nung tumawag sa akin sila coach Chot, tuwang-tuwa talaga ako. Pero medyo may problema kami doon kasi yung araw na ti-next sa akin na August, ‘yun din yung araw ng pagpunta namin ng France. So masaya pero nag-iisip ako. Kinausap ko muna Daddy ko. Kinukuha ako sa RP team ganito. I-ni-explain ko sa kanya. Ang sabi niya sa akin, ‘Huwag mo ako problemahin. Matanda na rin ako. Minsan ka lang mabigyan ng pagkakataon na ganyan. Go ka na.’ Nag-thank you ako sa kanya saka ako sumagot kay coach Chot,” he said in the Kuwentong Gilas feature.
The sacrifice has paid off for Marc when Gilas Pilipinas made history and booked a slot to the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain in last year’s FIBA Asia Championship in Manila. And it got much sweeter as part of the tune-up games would be played in France where his dad lives.
As Gilas Pilipinas arrived at Antibes, France last Thursday afternoon, Marc together with the Sports5 crew went to nearby Cannes, France and met up with Pingris Sr. and his wife.
“It took eight hours for me to get here,” said Pingris Sr. about his long drive from Normandy to Antibes. “Many, many joy ‘coz I am here with you,” as he looked on to Marc.
It was a happy moment indeed for Marc as his dad finally saw him over the past weekend in the four-team pocket tournament against France, Australia and Ukraine at the Azure Arena Antibes.
(TV5 will air the Gilas Pilipinas tune-up games tonight at 8.; Gilas Pilipinas vs Dominican Republic on Aug. 25; and Pilipinas vs Egypt, Aug. 26. TV5 will also air Gilas games in the FIBA World Cup starting Aug. 30.)