Philippines men's national wheelchair basketball team

Philippines

IWBF zone	IWBF Asia+Oceania
National federation	Wheelchair Basketball Federation of the Philippines
Coach	Vernon Perea
Nickname	Pilipinas Warriors
Paralympic Games
Appearances	None
World Championships
Appearances	None

The Philippines men's national wheelchair basketball team is the wheelchair basketball side that represents Philippines in international competitions for men as part of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation.

History

The Philippines has had a national wheelchair basketball team since at least the 2000s. The country's national team, under the auspices of the Philippine Sports Association for the Differently Abled–National Paralympic Committee (PHILSPADA-NPC), competed in the inaugural edition of the ASEAN Wheelchair Basketball Championship in 2003, finishing in second place. ^[1]

The Philippines has also competed in the ASEAN Para Games on several occasions, winning a silver medal at the 2005 ASEAN Para Games ^[2] and bronze medals in the 2014 ^[3] and 2015 editions. ^{[4] [5]}

The Wheelchair Basketball Federation of the Philippines was established in 2019 as part of the Philippine Paralympic Committee's plan to create National Para-Sport Associations (NPSAs), the equivalent of the Philippine Olympic Committee's National Sport Associations (NSAs) for able-bodied sports. The national team participated in the Asia-Oceania qualifiers for the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Thailand, using wheelchairs acquired just days before the tournament. They had planned to compete in the 2020 ASEAN Para Games as hosts, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[6] In the 2022 edition, the team earned a silver medal. ^[7]

In June 2025, the PHILSPADA entered into a partnership with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the national sports association for able-bodied basketball. The partnership will last until 2028. ^[8]

Current roster

The team's current roster as of the 2022 Asian Para Games ^[9]

Philippines men's national wheelchair basketball team – 2022 Asian Para Games roster
Players	Coaches
No. Name Age – Date of birth Pts. 4 Mark Vincent Aguilar 23 – (2000-06-23)23 June 2000 4.0 5 John Rey Escalante 31 – (1992-08-29)29 August 1992 4.0 6 Kenneth Christopher Tapia 28 – (1995-04-05)5 April 1995 3.5 8 Alfie Cabañog 33 – (1990-02-20)20 February 1990 4.0 10 Jannil Cañete 33 – (1990-01-19)19 January 1990 1.0 11 Cleford Trocino 36 – (1987-05-04)4 May 1987 1.0 12 Marlon Nacita 41 – (1982-09-24)24 September 1982 2.0 13 Freddie Magdayo 32 – (1990-10-20)20 October 1990 3.5 14 Jefferson Legacion 43 – (1980-07-13)13 July 1980 4.0 16 Kyle Carlo Carandang 21 – (2002-08-29)29 August 2002 1.5 17 Anthony Aze Demesa 19 – (2003-10-25)25 October 2003 3.5 18 Moises Escobar 38 – (1985-05-04)4 May 1985 4.0	Head coach Vernon Perea Assistant coach(es) Yolanda Hernandez Juanito Mingarine Harry Solanoy Legend Age – describes age on 19 October 2023

Competitions

Philippines v. Thailand at the 2017 ASEAN Para Games.

The Philippines men team has not competed at the Wheelchair Basketball World Championship or at the Summer Paralympics.

Paralympics

Year	Position	W	L
2016	Did not qualify
2020
2024

Asia-Oceania Championship

Year	Position	W	L
2015	11th place	1	5
2017	Did not enter [10]
2023 [11]	3rd place	4	2
2024	9th place	2	4
2025	9th place [12] [13]	3	2

Asian Para Games

Year	Position	W	L
2010	Did not participate
2014
2018	Did not enter [14] [15]
2022	10th place	1	4

ASEAN Para Games

Year	Position	W	L
2005	2nd
2014	3rd
2015		2	1
2017
2020	Cancelled
2022	2nd	3	2

ASEAN Championship

Year	Position	W	L
2003	2nd	3	1

Other

Year	Position	W	L
2012 Kuwait International Invitational Tournament [16]	5th place
2013 Kuwait International Invitational Tournament [17]		3	2

References

1. "Philippines 2nd in wheelchair caging". Philippine Daily Inquirer. October 18, 2003. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
2. Payo, Jasmine (December 20, 2005). "Dumapong rips record; RP falls to 6th place". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
3. Roque, Jude (January 24, 2014). "Philippine wheelchair cage team bags bronze in ASEAN Para Games". Yahoo! Philippines. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
4. "Thais win gold in men's and women's goalball". The Straits Times. December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
5. "Team Biography - Philippines (Wheelchair basketball)". 2015 ASEAN Para Games Singapore. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
6. Andaya, Ed; Ferreras, Gab (November 12, 2020). "Real-life Basketball 'heroes On Wheels' See Better Days Ahead". Journal Online. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
7. Navarro, June (August 1, 2022). "Wheelchair 3×3 cagers pocket first PH medal". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
8. "SBP, PHILSPADA ink partnership for wheelchair basketball development". Tiebreaker Times. June 21, 2025. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
9. "Wheelchair Basketball Men - Team Roster" (PDF). Asian Para Games 2022 Results System. Hangzhou Asian Para Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
10. "2017 IWBF Asia Oceania Championships for Men and Women". International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
11. Malanum, Jean (May 15, 2023). "PH wheelchair basketball team qualifies for Asian Para Games". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
12. "Asia Oceania Championships Wrap Up with World Qualification Decided". www.iwbf.org. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
13. "2025 Asia Oceania Championship for Men Schedule". International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
14. "Asian Para Games 2018". International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. January 9, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
15. "China Men and Iran Women Win Gold at Central & East Asia Qualifying Tournament". International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. March 10, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
16. Roque, Jude (November 16, 2012). "Pinoys make waves in Asian wheelchair basketball joust". Yahoo! Philippines. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
17. Seidu, Iddris (November 7, 2013). "Kuwait Rout Bahrain In Wheelchair Basketball Tourney". Kuwait City: Arab Times. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2015.