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THE
clamor for Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)
officer-in-charge Renauld “Sonny” Barrios to stay for
the rest of the season appears to be getting louder each
day.
PBA
board chairman Tony Chua shared the clamor, saying
Barrios is doing a great job as interim commissioner.
“Sa
nakikita ko ngayon, very happy kami sa ginagawa ni
Mr. Barrios so why not let him continue,” said Chua,
also chairman of the search committee tasked to look for
the permanent commissioner of the PBA.
“Baka
puwede natin siyang pakiusapan na na mag-stay muna
while we look for the next commissioner,” Chua added.
The
search committee will be meeting anytime this week to
lay the groundwork of its task. With Chua in the
committee are former PBA chairman Ricky Vargas (Talk ’N
Text), Lito Alvarez (Air21), Robert Non (San Miguel) and
Joaqui Trillo (Alaska). Barrios is an ex-officio member
of the group.
Barrios
told the BusinessMirror in a previous interview he is
hoping that the committee begins its search as soon as
possible because his hands are already tied with his
family business.
“Nakakahiya
na sa pamilya ko. I told them na six months lang
talaga ako rito,” said Barrios. “Hopefully,
makahanap agad sila ng kapalit ko para maging maayos ang
turnover.”
Barrios
admitted some team officials are requesting him to stay
for the entire 33rd season.
Chua
said the committee has not set a deadline on naming or
even setting the criteria for the selection because the
members of the group are busy attending to their
respective companies.
“Hindi
naman namin minamadali because we feel Mr. Barrios
is doing a great job as commissioner of the PBA. We just
hope that he reconsiders this decision. Alam naman
naming mahal na mahal ni Mr. Barrios ang
PBA,” Chua stated.
Among
the names that floated as potential commissioners are
former senators Robert Jaworski and Freddie Webb,
Barrios’s legal counsel Chito Salud and Lambert Ramos,
the Nextel president and organizer of games in Alaska
who is endorsed by Alaska.
Meanwhile, Chua said the PBA is mulling to make Cuneta
Astrodome its home because a good crowd always troops to
the Pasay City venue since the PBA started playing there
last week.
The
Cuneta Astrodome served as the PBA’s home in the 1990s
before transferring to the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon
City. |
