MANILA, Philippines — Yeng Guiao said other than winning the championship in the recent Kadayawan Festival in Davao, the biggest upside was the team chemistry that was forged in that weeklong, four-team invitational tournament.

"There were a lot of things that happened in Davao. Of course, it was capped by a

championship, but I think the most important thing there was the time we spent together," Guiao said in Filipino, noting how their three incoming rookies Caelan Tiongson, Felix Lemetti and Francis Escandor

Tiongson, the 6-foot-5 Filipino-American forward did not play since he was then coming off a stint with the Strong Group Athletics, which went on to rule the 43rd William Jones Cup in Taiwan.

The fiery ROS coach said they also took the time to bond with the players.

"We had our team building there in Davao. At the same time, we're also able to jell our rookies, bond with our rookies and introduce to them our culture, our philosophies. So it was good," he stressed.

Tiongson is expected to bring in his solid defensive presence, having toiled in the ASEAN Basketball League before as well as a recent stint with the Taoyuan Leopards in the T1 League in Taiwan.

Guiao's team looks to build on its first semifinal appearance in years since the Elasto Painters were coming off a Final Four appearance in last season's Philippine Cup.

Rain or Shine subdued TNT, 2-1 in the quarterfinals, arranging a best-of-seven semifinal series against San Miguel.

The Beermen went on to score a four-game sweep against a younger Elasto Painters side, whihc managed to put up a decent fight despite an obvious difference in terms of playoff experience.

Guiao said the Davao tournament gave them an idea what else they need to work on.

"We know what we need to improve on and we know also what are our strengths," said the ROS mentor, who last steered the Asian Coating franchise to the PBA title during the 2016 Commissioner's Cup.

"In the offseason, we tried to improve on those aspects as we aim to build a contender team."

No doubt, ROS got bigger at frontcourt, especially since Luis Villegas, the 6-foot-6 former University of the East stalwart is set to be reactivated some time in the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup, which opens this Sunday, August 18.

Villegas, ROS' no. 3 overall pick in the 2023 PBA Draft, did not play in his rookie season as he had to recover from a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in his knee.

Guiao expects Villegas to finally play midway in the season-opening conference.