Alongside his father, the young NBA Filipino prospect posted a photo of himself exiting Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at around 10 pm who boarded All Nippon Airways from Narita, Japan.

The 7-foot-3 youngster, who committed himself to play for Gilas, has finally returned to the Philippines after about two years of training in the U.S for Ignite in the NBA G League season.

Sotto will have to undergo quarantine for about 5 days and will need a negative COVID-19 test result before heading out to the Calamba bubble inside the Inspire Sports Academy to join the rest of the Gilas Pilipinas.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al S. Panlilio acknowledged the arrival of Sotto and shared that the 7-foot-3 stalwart will have at least one week to present himself in the training before the squad leaves for Doha, Qatar for the final window of the qualifiers which tips off on Feb. 18 to 22.

“He’s ready to join the bubble as soon as possible after his quarantine period,” Panlilio stated.

Gilas, who is on top of Group A with a 3-0 record, will go against South Korea (2-0) twice on Feb. 18 and 22, and Indonesia (1-2) on Feb. 20.

Moreover, the Gilas will have to win only one of its games to secure a position in the FIBA Asia Cup tournament proper coming this August in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Sotto elected to join Gilas for the window despite the forthcoming NBA G League season under a bubble setup in Orlando, Florida.

With this, he will miss a few games or possibly more for the Ignite depending on how fast Sotto can rejoin the team.