SIBOL Clarifies: ONIC PH Was Never Announced as Asian Games Roster
When SIBOL reopened its Mobile Legends: Bang Bang qualifiers for the Asian Games, many fans were confused, especially with the assumption that ONIC PH, winners of the initial qualifiers, had already secured the national team slot.
According to SIBOL General Manager Jab Escutin, that assumption was never accurate.
‘We Only Confirmed the Head Coach’
“It’s good that you asked that,” Escutin said. “Right after the tournament or the first SIBOL Qualifiers for Asian Games, we only confirmed the head coach (Coach Tony Senedrin). We haven’t confirmed any roster. That’s a misconception. Everybody assumes that when a team wins a qualifier, they are automatically the roster. But we never announced a roster. We only announced a head coach.”
The clarification directly addresses a growing narrative within the community—that ONIC PH had already been locked in as the Philippine representative before changes forced SIBOL to start over.
The Qualifiers Determines Which Players Participate in the SIBOL Combine, from which the National Team is Picked
After the SIBOL Qualifiers, the SIBOL Combine commences, in which the top 4 teams in the qualifiers play together to see their chemistry among each other. It is from this pool of 20 players that the head coach will select the roster for the national team.
Former SIBOL head coach Tony Senedrin, aka Coach Ynot stepped down from his role without selecting roster for the national team prior to his move to Jakarta.
The New Head Coach Will Select the National Team Roster from 20 Players
Allec Alvarado, aka Coach SN4P, emerged as the new head coach after the second SIBOL Qualifiers for the Asian Games. He will select from a pool of 20 players from Team Liquid, ONIC PH, Aurora Hunters, and Team Falcons to form the Asian Games roster for MLBB.
His supporting coaches are Francis Glindro (Coach Duckey), Michael Angelo Bocado (Coach Arcadia), and Denver Miranda (Coach Yeb).
“First of all, we were operating on a lot of early information. A lot of information are not confirmed early,” said Escutin. “The first qualifier was based on the information that we were going to compete in a regional qualifiers for the Asian Games in February”
At the time, SIBOL was preparing for a February 2026 regional qualifier. That timeline has since shifted to June 2026. It created a wider window—and more room for roster movement across the competitive scene.
“Esports is very fluid right?” said Escutin. “The best team we had last November may not be the best team we have right now. And the meta changes.”
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