IT was the “Minor Miracle near Manila” that Boomers players Chris Goulding and Nathan Sobey walked out of Philippine Arena in the early hours of the morning.

They could have been killed in the chaotic all-in brawl.

Too dramatic? Hell no.

They are lucky to be alive, let alone relatively unscathed by the despicable acts of the Philippines players, coaches and spectators.

Clearly the “One Punch Can Kill” campaign highlighting the mortal danger of the coward punch has not made it to the Philippines.

It won’t happen, but certain members of that team and that crowd should face criminal charges.

A host of Filipino players kicked and punched Goulding for the best part of a minute while he lay on the floor. What if he hit his head on the concrete floor next to the court?

Sobey was hit with a chair thrown by a spectator, and punched in the face by a non-playing member of the Philippines team.

How many things could have gone pear-shaped in that scenario?

FIBA need to handout heavy sanctions.

The Philippines need to be kicked out of the World Cup qualifying process, for starters.

To clear the bench and go on the attack like a pack of dogs is unacceptable.

Daniel Kickert should not have thrown that elbow. Not at all. But the home side should have let the referees handle it.

Philippines’ hosting rights for the 2023 FIBA World Cup also need to be seriously questioned.

How can they host the game’s peak event outside the Olympics if they cannot guarantee the safety of the players?

They can’t. They have no credibility. They cannot control their own team, let alone a crowd.

If somebody can walk up, pick up a chair and throw it at a player, what does that say about their ability to run a proper tournament?

They should be stripped of the 2023 World Cup.

Rabid and equally delusional Filipino basketball fans took to social media to defend the actions of their team and blame the Aussies for bringing it on themselves.

That says everything you need to know.

At least our boys made it out alive.