The SIBOL General Manager keeps his focus on building the future of our national esports team.
The next few years are going to be busy for SIBOL’s Jab Escutin as our country is gearing up for some of the biggest international esports events in history. With the 2025 SEA Games, 2026 Asian Games, and 2027 Esports Olympics over the horizon, it’s “Boss Jab’s” duty to make sure that we’re sending our best athletes to compete in these events.
In the MLBB space, they’ve already found a working system with their consistent national tryouts and combines. Players from all over the country earn a chance to represent the Philippines, with the end result ideally being a team made up of the best esports athletes we can offer.
This means that the national team often changes from event to event. In fact, we may be three-time SEA Games gold medalists in MLBB, but the teams that have won those medals have been different every time. This, in turn, brings the question of whether it would be better if we kept an already proven team together.
“Siyempre, that’s the most obvious thing that everyone will think,” said SIBOL’s Jab Escutin. “But we treat esports as more volatile than traditional sports. Games can change on a quarterly to six-month basis. So the best team you have and are investing in right now might not be the best team next year.”
The life of an esports team is a rather turbulent one. A team’s success is often measured in short bursts. Plus, the ever-changing nature of videogames makes it rare to see the same players or teams sitting at the top.
“We also want to make sure that we provide an opportunity for everyone in the Philippines that wants to represent us. Keeping the same roster of players does not send that message.”
Nurturing the Next Esports Athlete
Keeping the tryouts and combines open to all comers is a crucial point in SIBOL’s recruiting strategy. From top-tier pros to fresh-faced amateurs, all are encouraged to sign up if they want to represent the country. Yes, the more inexperienced players might not get far, but that’s part of the process. The only way to learn from the best in the business is to take them head-on.
“If you’re an amateur team and you spend time with the best, you eventually become one of the best,” said SIBOL’s Jab Escutin. “And the reality is that the current rosters we have now will eventually move on. We want to make sure that we have the continuous momentum of people who want to represent the Philippines. To keep on aspiring, to want to be the best at what they do, and I think that’s where the qualifiers and combine comes in.”
For SIBOL and Boss Jab, this need to constantly prove yourself is the best way to shape our esports athletes. The pros need to stay on their toes, and the youngbloods need to stay hungry. They understand that it’s a great honor to carry the name of your country to an international event, and they need to prove that they’re worthy of carrying it.
“We see that it’s working, that it’s engaging the amateur scene and growing the pool of talents that we have. The goal for me is to always look forward, that we have the athletes of today, then the athletes of next year, and of decades to come. The only way to do that is to make sure that the amateur teams are engaged.”
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.