President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Tuesday took the center court and made the ceremonial toss to start the match between Gilas Pilipinas and France at the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Duterte, the 16th President of the Philippines, was greeted by the game’s starters including French NBA superstars Tony Parker and Boris Diaw.
After the greetings, Duterte tossed the ball up and received more applause from the audience.
After the game, Gilas Pilipinas thanked the president for showing support in the opening against between France. The Filipino team loss to France with 84-93.