GIRL POWER: 10-Year-Old Janinna Miclat Ready to Defy Odds in JB ABL Debut

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The JB Amateur Basketball League (JB ABL) will be having a groundbreaking moment once the Developmental Conference kicks off this Saturday.

For the first time in JB ABL developmental league history, an aspiring girl hooper from Iloilo City will showcase her skills in the boys category, specifically in the Under-12 division.

Despite the odds, Janinna Ysabel Rose Miclat, a 10-year-old Grade V student from the Angelicum School Iloilo-UST, is ready to defy them all and break the stigma once she suits up for team BEL-IS COVE on May 31, 2025.

“Due to the limited avenue sang mga female basketball players ta sa syudad at that age, the JB ABL committee decided to welcome her with open arms, and also because this is the true essence of what developmental leagues should be,” said Commissioner Jayphet Balbacal in an exclusive interview with the Daily Guardian.

Since picking up the leather and learning to dribble at the age of eight, the amiable girl already grew a love for the sport. She was fully supported by her parents in her ultimate dream of being one of the best female basketball players from Western Visayas.

Raised by a family with an athletic background, Janinna Ysabel is the daughter of Inno Miclat, one of the most lethal three-point shooters in Iloilo City, and Dori Anne Miclat, a former National PRISAA taekwondo jin during her collegiate days at the Central Philippine University (CPU).

“We couldn’t be happier for her—she’s waited so long for this opportunity, especially in a city where most leagues and games are geared toward boys,” stated her parents.

Before joining her first organized developmental league, Miclat only had a few experiences in a competitive setting. First was when she joined a tournament at Balabago, and the other was a basketball camp at Angelicum, spearheaded by coach Albert Nabo.

Now ready and excited to go up against the competing teams, Miclat is determined to put her stamp on the league and represent female athletes who are too shy and discouraged.

“We’re hopeful that through this league, she’ll finally have the chance to showcase her talent and all the hard work she’s put in over the years training alongside them. Lastly, she’s going to redefine what it means to ‘play like a girl’ — and it’s anything but an insult,” her parents added.