Call them the ‘Filipinas’ from now on.
The Philippine women’s national football team will be using a new moniker as they prepare for the 31st Southeast Asian Games slated for May in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The decision to drop the old Malditas moniker and assume the new one fits the team better, according to team manager Jefferson Cheng.
“It (Filipinas) is simple and nationalistic. Our athletes are Filipinas. They are strong-willed, determined, passionate and driven by the goal to represent not just themselves, but the country,” Cheng said.
The SEA Games is a significant step in the team’s long buildup for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, set in Australia and New Zealand, where the Philippines will be competing for the first time.
Cheng said the word Malditas, which means “feisty ladies” in Filipino, is not appropriate to describe the team because of its generally negative connotation.
“We trust that Filipino football fans will understand and support this decision,” said Cheng.
The national women’s team first adopted the nickname Malditas during the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, under head coach Ernest Nierras. It was meant to reflect the players’ tough stance.
They had been using it until recently when the team clinched a historic slot in the 2023 World Cup with a spectacular performance in the AFC Women’s Cup in India last February.
The then Malditas opened the tourney with a 1-0 win over Thailand after 12 straight losses to the same team; lost to Australia, 0-4; blanked Indonesia, 6-0, and then upstaged Taiwan, 4-3, via a penalty shootout to seal the historic World Cup appearance. It did not matter that they lost to world-class South Korea in the semifinals in their next game as the World Cup berth was already in the bag.
Currently enjoying their highest ranking thus far at no. 54 in the world, the Filipinas are expected to train in Sydney, Australia, where coach Alen Stajcic is based.
They will play a couple of international friendlies against Fiji on April 7 and 11 in Sydney.
The Filipinas will be in training camp until early May, before flying to Hanoi, Vietnam for the SEA Games.
“It is crucial that the team gets as much time as possible to prepare,” added Cheng, who has been the team’s manager and sponsor since 2018 and in 2019, when they came to within a win of reaching the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
Cheng also supported the team’s campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Together with our team manager Jefferson Cheng, the PFF is here to make sure the team will go to every competition as well prepared and fit as possible,” said PFF president Mariano Araneta.
“We look forward to seeing the Filipinas represent the country again when they return to action this April as they prepare for the SEA Games.”
The Filipinas are composed of Maya Taylor Alcantara, Tahnai Lauren Annis, Kristen Bugay, Anical Chabeli Castaneda, Malea Louise Cesar, Alisha De Ocampo, Isabella Flanigan, Kiara Fontanilla, Carleigh Frilles, Katrina Jacquelinne Guillou, Sofia Nicole Harrison, Kaya Hawkinson, Halo Long, Eva Madarang, Chantelle Maniti, Olivia McDaniel, Jessica Miclat, Inna Palacios, Carla Portillo, Quinley Quezada, Dominique Randle, Kathleen Rodriguez, Jaclyn Sawicki, Tara Allison Shelton and Karlene White.