The Philippine national esports team clarifies its eligibility and participation rules for the SIBOL National Team qualifiers, following questions raised after the recent SIBOL Combine ahead of the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
Overseas Filipinos Eligible, With One Key Condition
SIBOL National Team Manager Jab Escutin emphasized that Filipino players remain eligible regardless of where they compete, citing the case of ONIC’s Duane “Kelra” Pillas.
“When he (Coach Denver “Yeb” Miranda) his plan na Kelra would still be playing while he’s in Indonesia, I told him that I’m very happy of this because I always tell everybody, it doesn’t matter where you are,” Escutin said.
“The only challenge that you have if you’re outside of the country is to find an all-Filipino team to play with in the qualifiers.”
While SIBOL has been in place since 2021, overseas-based Filipino players have rarely joined the qualifiers. That trend shifted this year, with players like Kelra and Tracy Danielle “Tracy” Damasco taking part.
Coaches Not Limited by Nationality
Longtime SIBOL coach Ralph Andrei “Leathergoods” Llabres clarified that nationality is not a requirement for coaches.
“Actually, he (the coach) doesn’t have to be Filipino. He just has to have an all-Filipino team,” Leathergoods said. “We already had a Malaysian coach (Wei Yip “Arthur” Lee) under the national team for Dota 2. So it doesn’t matter.”
Commitment Required for National Duty
PESO also addressed reports involving Aurora Gaming and clarified its stance on players declining national team duty.
“When you go through the entire qualifiers, we make it clear that you only join the qualifiers if you have the full intent to serve the Philippines when you are chosen,” Escutin said. “So when we get to that point, and for whatever reason you tell us that you do not prefer to serve your country, unfortunately, we take that very seriously.”
Escutin added that penalties are not permanent. “It’s a couple of years to wait before you have the opportunity (again).”
A similar situation occurred in 2023 with Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya, who later returned to represent SIBOL in 2025 international events.
Yeb, Arcadia Commit to PH Representation
The inclusion of coaches Denver “Yeb” Miranda and Michael “Arcadia” Bocado also drew attention, with fans speculating about international interest.
Escutin downplayed the idea of competition between countries.
“I think it’s just a by-product of it. It just so happens that the mentioned countries need their expertise,” Escutin said. “Pero at this point I think they would rather prefer serving their own countries.”
Both coaches echoed their commitment to representing the Philippines.
“Ito talaga yung dream namin, mag-coach para sa bansa namin,” Arcadia said. “So that’s why, for me, nagtatanong muna ko sa Sibol if talagang may opportunity.”
Yeb added that he had declined several requests to coach other national teams on interviews.
“Noon pa, very vocal yung pag bansa na, sa Pilipinas lang ako,” Yeb said. “Wala nang nagtanka, hindi na nila sinubukan.”
Packed Road Ahead for SIBOL
SIBOL is set for a busy stretch, with qualifiers across titles such as PUBG, Naraka: Bladepoint, and Pokémon Unite scheduled across regions including Vietnam, Korea, China, and Japan.
For Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, qualifiers are expected in June, though the host country has yet to be finalized.
“Hanggang June, 100%, all the qualifiers are coming,” Leathergoods said. “In terms of training, I think all the teams naman have plans for it.”
The national team is also preparing for upcoming international competitions, including the Esports Nations Cup and the World Esports Championships by the International Esports Federation.
“We already have initial plans on what we want to do. So we’re very excited,” Escutin said. “We’ll probably get more information by tomorrow. But I’m pretty sure we’re very optimistic that WEC will happen.”
