MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines got good news ahead of the second round of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, when Ginebra big man Greg Slaughter was cleared to play as a local for the national basketball team.

Unfortunately, the ankle sprain that he suffered against NorthPort during the PBA Governors’ Cup prevented Slaughter from seeing action in the last window, where the Philippines took on Iran on the road then hosted Qatar in a closed-door game at the Araneta Coliseum.

The national team split their games, losing to Iran 81-73, before rallying to claim a 92-81 triumph over Qatar.

“It took the guys long to get their rhythm,” said Slaughter, who was one of 220 people allowed inside the Big Dome for the game against Qatar. “But eventually, it’s our home court.”

Slaughter has never hidden the fact that he is eager to once again play for flag and country, and watching his teammates compete only bolstered that sentiment.

“I’m excited,” said Slaughter, who formed a cheering squad of sorts together with Christian Standhardinger, Allein Maliksi, and Raymond Almazan during the game on Monday evening.

“Since I found out that my eligibility was cleared, I just can’t wait to get back out there,” he added. “I got my sights set on the next window. It’ll come quicker than you think -- just got to get ready.”

The Philippines will play again on November 30, hosting Kazakhstan at home.

Slaughter is expected to be cleared by then, and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas anticipates that he will form a “Twin Towers” combination with PBA rival June Mar Fajardo, who is also recovering from an injury of his own.

“It sounds exciting,” Slaughter said of the possibility. “But we still need time to work on things and get together.”

“We’ve never had a chance to play together. We need time to jell, and hopefully, we can reach the potential that everyone sees in us,” he added.

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