MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine women's national football team is officially phasing out its old moniker and will be referred to as "Filipinas" from now on.

The team made it official on Thursday, with team manager Jefferson Cheng explaining their decision.

"[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," said Cheng.

According to a statement by the Philippine Football Federation, it was recognized by "all relevant parties" that it was not appropriate to use a moniker "with negative connotations in large parts of the world."

The national team was previously known as "Malditas." In October 2021, then-head coach Marlon Maro expressed his desire to do away with the term, saying that it "doesn't represent the beauty of being a Filipina."

• READ: PH women's football team will be 'Malditas' no more, says coach

The team will be using the moniker in subsequent tournaments, including the 31st Southeast Asian Games, the AFF Women's Championship, the Asian Games, and the FIFA Women's World Cup next year in Australia and New Zealand.

"We trust that Filipino football fans will understand and support this decision," said Cheng.

The Filipinas are now in Australia, where they will train for the upcoming SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.