Sibol coaches honored to heed Asian Games call
MANILA, Philippines — Members of the Philippine Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) national team’s support coaching staff said joining Team Sibol for the Asian Games fulfilled a long-standing personal goal, even as they continue to hold professional coaching roles overseas.
Two of the three support coaches tapped for the Asian Games are currently based abroad — Denver "Yeb" Miranda of Indonesia's ONIC Esports and Michael "Arcadia" Bocado of Malaysia's Selangor Red Giants. Though both have commitments to their representative organizations, they are also committed to serve the Philippine national team as MLBB makes its debut in the Asian Games later this year.
While both Miranda and Bocado have spent years building their careers outside the Philippines, winning trophies in their respective regions as well as the MLBB Mid-Season Cup, the desire to represent the country remained constant.
"Sobrang grateful ko syempre na napasama sa lineup na to. Isa sa bucket list ko kasi na mapasali sa Sibol and [una] tingin ko impossible siya since nasa Indonesia ako. Excited na ako makawork sila,” Miranda said at a press conference.
Bocado, who has coached the national team of Malaysia for the Southeast Asian Games, revealed that he was actually offered to coach for the Asian Games but had first opted to ask Sibol if there was an opportunity even for Filipino coaches based abroad.
"Yung sa akin, actually may offer na ako na to coach yung Asian Games. Pero very transparent naman ako on what I want. Even before last SEA Games, nagtatanong muna ako sa Sibol kung may qualifiers ba na para sana sa mga foreign coaches. As a foreign coach myself, I think like what Yeb mentioned, kasi ito talagang yung dream namin. Ma-coach yung sariling bansa namin. For this Asian Games, the moment na nalaman ko na may opportunity, then doon na talaga na klaro yung isip ko and klaro yung goal ko, which is to coach the national team of Philippines. So I had to politely decline them and really coach my home country,” shared Bocado.
Despite committing to the country's national team both Miranda and Bocado's respective organizations in Indonesia and Malaysia support their decision.
"They fully support me with this decision. And as long as mafufulfill ko pa rin yung duty ko as the head coach of my other team. So, everything was, napagusapan naman lahat and alam naman namin yung responsibility ko as a support coach of Team Sibol. So, yeah, I think wala naman issue and at the same time, they're very happy about it as well," shared Bocado.
Sibol officials clarified that under international competition rules, only athletes are required to hold citizenship, allowing coaches to work across borders.
“Under the rules of IOC, or OCA, only the athletes are actually required to be national citizens. So, for coaches, any country can hire,” said Sibol's overall head coach Ralph Andrei "Leathergoods" Llabres.
However, they stressed that joining the national team ultimately comes down to personal choice.
"Our main purpose is just to get their expertise. It just so happens that [other] countries need their expertise also. Pero at this point, I think [Miranda and Bocado] would prefer serving their own country at this point,” said Sibol general manager Jab Escutin.
As for head coach Allec “SN4P” Alvarado, the presence of the support coaches is a huge help as this will be his first international experience as a head coach.
"Honestly, I've been idolizing these three coaches for so long. It's going to be my first international experience. I really need their help, honestly, and their support and I think it's all about our collaborative effort [to bring home the gold],” said Alvarado.
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