Joseph “Jo” Gotangco Regional Director Chicago FilAm Nation Select

By: Ryan Tejero

 

We seldom learn about a sports-oriented organization in the community, but this month, I am so proud to introduce FilAm Nation Select. This organization was founded by Coach Chris Gopez, and Alex Cabognot, who is the current PBA Player for San Miguel Beer. Founded in 2019, FilAm Nation Select (FNS) was built on the following main mission: Exposure, which is to provide one stop shop to expose youth, high school, and current college athletes, not only in their respective birth countries, but also worldwide; Education, which is to give athletes a top notch training to take their game to the next level and also fostering parents to know the ins and outs of supporting them, and Opportunities, which is to provide education and opportunities to play for the national team, collegiate and professional teams in the Philippines.

FNS is organized worldwide. Here in Chicago, Joseph Gotangco is the Regional Director. He is responsible in making the mission work for FilAm Nation Select. A pioneering regional event was held on August 14-15 at the Schaumburg Sports Center at 1141 W Irving Park Rd, Schaumburg, IL 60193. This event was an exposure camp for interested athletes, and an education on how to get Philippine-American dual citizenship.

True to its mission of helping the athletes back home in the Philippines, FilAm Nation Select has partnered with Bata Sole to collect and donate new or used shoes for the less fortunate kids in the Philippines for them to wear on a daily basis or us to play the sports that they love. Jo said that “we have some talented athletes in the Philippines, but sometimes they need the appropriate equipment to perform at a high level. With the collected shoes, it will surely help aspiring athletes achieve their goals in sports, and maybe someday they will be able to play in college sports or professional teams, which will enable them to provide for their families.”

Jo joined FilAm Nation Select in September 2020. He recalls “the founder of FilAm Nation, Coach Chris Gopez asked me if I can be the Regional Director in Chicago, and I was hesitant to do it before because I knew it will be time consuming. But I realized that the platform would benefit the athletes to get the exposure they needed to play College sports here in the US or in the Philippines.”

Jo Gotangco is currently a self-employed as a Basketball Skills Trainer for youth in the high school, college or professional categories. He is married to Sherry Gotangco, and they have two children Sophia (13) and Shina (8). Jo migrated to the US in 1996. He hails from Sto. Tomas, Batangas. He graduated from Centro Escolar University. He was member of the CEU’s basketball varsity team. He obtained his Certified Basketball Skills Trainer from Phil Handy, who is the Los Angeles Lakers Asst Coach.

Jo has a long track record of helping athletes to get closer to where they want to be in their career. Some of the athletes who were assisted by FilAm Nation Select were: Jowell Young, (Niles North) who recently got recruited by University of Perpetual Help University Atlas; Nikke Villasin, who is one of the top Female Chicago FilAm basketball players was recently added on the GILAS national pool, and Alex Fernandez who has received a verbal commitment from Asian Institute of Maritime Studies (AIMS) to play college sports. Jo is grateful to numerous Filipino league organizations for the leagues they ran and their unwavering support to future FilAm athletes. These organizations include PBA Chicago, FBL Chicago, PAPAA Chicago, FABA Chicago, Swifbac and Famba.

If you are interested to know more about FilAm Nation Select or support the mission of this organization, please contact Jo Gotangco at jogotan1@gmail.com.

FilAm Nation Select Clinic held in Romeoville on February 13, 2021.

Perpetual Help Atlas recruit Jowell Young from Niles North High School through the help of FilAm Nation Select.

Jo completed his Basketball Skill Training Certification under the supervision of 3-time NBA World Champion LA Lakers Asst. Coach Phil Handy.