Exec wants PBA’s active role in Asian tourneys

from gmanews.tv

Just when the Philippine Basketball Association is about to give way to Smart-Gilas in representing the country in major Asian tournaments, controversial rookie Japeth Aguilar suddenly made the league’s new chairman change his mind.

Burger King team manager Lito Alvarez, who succeeded Joaqui Trillo early this month as the PBA’s new chairman, is now soliciting the support of the board to revive the league’s active involvement in major Asian basketball tournaments.

According to Alvarez, the PBA is now revisiting the Constitution and By Laws of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, which supposedly designate the PBA to handle the RP team in Asian tourneys. The PBA is a stakeholder of the SBP and has four seats in its board.

“We want to have a more active participation in the elite Asian tournaments, which means we want to send our team," Alvarez told GMANews.TV. “I asked our lawyer in the PBA to revisit the league’s involvement as far as participation in elite Asian tournaments. We are entitled to playing in major Asian tournaments and that’s what we’re keen on doing now."

Alvarez said that the controversy involving top rookie draftee Aguilar should not come as a precedent wherein “a player can simply make a mockery of a 35-year-old institution" such as the PBA. Aguilar turned his back on Burger King in the PBA to instead join the SBP’s Gilas Pilipinas, the national team tapped to play in the 2010 Asian Games and 2011 FIBA Asia.

“Parang ang lumalabas pa kasi, nagiging kumpitensiya pa yung SBP sa pagkuha ng player just like what happened now with Japeth," said Alvarez. “Nagpa-draft na sa PBA yet nag-decide biglang maglalaro sa Smart-Gilas team."

The Smart-Gilas is composed of amateur players who are under contract. It has also signed up a naturalized player in the person of CJ Guiles, who played briefly for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Aguilar is also expected to sign a pact with the Smart-Gilas squad after refusing a three-year, P8.7-million offer from Burger King in the PBA.

Alvarez said he has informed Manny V. Pangilinan and Ricky Vargas, two key officials of the SBP and fellow board members in the PBA, regarding the plan.

The Burger King executive is confident he will get the board’s majority backing.

So far, he has already secured has the support of JB Baylon of Coca-Cola and Sta. Lucia board governor Buddy Encarnado.

Baylon, team manager of Powerade-Pilipinas, has reiterated their company’s support to Yeng Guiao’s all-pro national team and expressed willingness to tap the international companies owned by Coca-Cola for the continuation of the program.

Encarnado, for his part, has even suggested that Guiao put his proposal for the program’s continuation in writing which he intends to submit to the board. - GMANews.Tv