PH beats more than 111 countries for 2023 WEC title

Topping over 111 countries globally, the Philippines reigned as the International Esports Federation (IESF) 2023 World Esports Championship (WEC) overall champion in Iasi, Romania.

The Southeast Asian (SEA) nation captured the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) gold and Tekken 7 silver to claim the championship.

Sibol dethroned defending champion Indonesia to bag the MLBB title.

Guided by coaches Francis "Duckey" Glindro and Vrendon "Vren" Pesebre, the nationals composed of AP Bren's Angelo Kyle "Pheww" Arcangel, David Charles "FlapTzy" Canon, Marco "Super Marco" Requitiano, Michael Kyle "KyleTzy" Angelo Sayson, Rowgien "Owgwen" Stimpson Unigo and GameLab's Jan Bradford "XBOCT" Amande completed a perfect 7-0 run in the tournament.

Pheww also made history after becoming the first-ever Filipino esports athlete to win three golds in international competitions for the country, clinching two of those in the 2019 and 2023 SEA Games.

The 22-year-old prodigy Alexandre "AK" Laverez, meanwhile, nearly swept the Tekken 7 tiff before losing to now reigning back-to-back WEC titlist Atif "Atif Butt" Ijaz of Pakistan in the grand finals.

AK, mentored by Martin Marco Veerayah, settled for silver, proving his growth as a Fighting Games player who exited the same competition in the quarterfinals in 2018.

Aside from MLBB and Tekken 7, Sibol also competed in Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) 2 and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Mobile (PUBGM), but neither team took home a medal.

In DOTA 2, the Philippines represented by Polaris Esports members Eljohn "Akashi" Andales, Mc Nicholson "Mac" Villanueva, Jun "Bok" Kanehara, Marvin "Boomy" Rushton, Bryle "cml" Alvizo and coach Josef Leonard "JL" Brazal bowed out of contention in the group stages, finishing third in Group D with Ukraine, Myanmar, and Ecuador.

The country's PUBGM squad of Abdul Barode, Ans Clarth Rago, Charles Bryant Lobusta, John Raymart Rocello, Reimon Allen Casido, and Ronald Aljheron Ginez finished 11th of 16 teams.

Philippine Esports Organization (PESO) Executive Director Marlon Marcelo lauded Sibol's impressive outing in WEC 2023, stating it only proved how world-class Filipinos are in esports.

"Our Sibol team and its esports program are a testament that our Filipino athletes can achieve world class recognition and become the best in the world. Their success serves as an inspiration to aspiring gamers, especially from the Philippines and Southeast Asia," Marcelo said in a statement posted on PESO's official Facebook page.

This victory is a reminder that with passion and commitment, anything is possible in the world of esports." he added.

For his part, PESO President Brian Lim said in the same statement the significance of the Philippines' triumph in the international esports scene.

"Becoming the overall champion at the IESF esports world championship is a significant testament to how Filipinos can achieve at the highest levels in the global stage of esports, where height, weight, gender, or age has no bounds, showcasing our skill, resourcefulness and ingenuity." Lim shared. "I would like to wholeheartedly thank our sponsors, gov't officials, players, Sibol team, and fans for supporting us. This is all for you! Mabuhay Pilipinas!"