WILLIE MARCIAL has a job that is the envy of all. As commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBS), Marcial has the stature of one oozing with glitz and glamor. He is a celebrity, an almost adorable star like a typical heartthrob of the silver screen.
And, for his safety, Marcial’s five-man committee has insulated him from possible fatal blows. It is a fire-proof cloak that virtually keeps him out of harm’s way. Meaning, he cannot be fired that easily because he doesn’t make major decisions that much.
A case in point is the league’s trade system, which is, at times more often than not, a contentious issue.
Did Chito Narvasa, in the pre-committee era, not lose his job as PBA commissioner just a while back as a result of that controversial trade of Christian Standhardinger, paving the way for Marcial’s ascent to the top?
Marcial, obviously a good student, has henceforth made himself off-limits from trade deals. He created the committee now composed of former pro Joey Guanio, Mauro Bengua Jr., Ross Tioteco, Eric Castro and PBA legal counsel Melvin Mendoza (no relation po).
The committee is now evaluating Terrafirma’s move to ship its hottest property, CJ Perez, to San Miguel Beer in exchange for Gelo Alolino, Russel Escoto, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser and SMB’s 2021 first round Draft pick.
“I have never gone against the decision of the trade committee,” Marcial has told the Inquirer’s Musong Castillo. “Starting Day 1 [of my commissionership], that committee has decided on all of the trades in the league.”
So there. Fire-proof as can be.
For his part, Bobby Rosales, Terrafirma’s PBA governor, said that while it saddens them to let go of Perez, “we are doing this to find the missing pieces in our bid to further strengthen our team.” He also said he is pining on picking the best from this year’s talent-rich Draft pool.
“Because of the richness of this year’s pool, we saw a chance to get more talent,” said Rosales, adding that after grabbing first overall, it will take two tedious rounds before Terrafirma could pick again.
Fair enough.
As for SMB, swapping its four players with Perez netted the team a huge catch as the sophomore pro, the 2019 Rookie of the Year, is a great addition to a squad needing younger punchers to maintain its big-ticket reputation.
But will Marcial’s five-man committee see it fit to agree to the Perez trade?
If it hasn’t yet, I see no reason why it won’t.
THAT’S IT Our promising Alex Eala, 15, will compete in the juniors of the Australian Open that begins February 8. She needs more qualifying points to be eligible for women’s play. Keep punching, Alex!…Happy birthday to Calauag-born (Quezon) Ching Juvida-Fernandez (February 1) and San Francisco-based Boni F. Juvida (February 2). Cheers!
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