INQUIRER Sports

THE SAGA OF THE CONTROVERSIAL case of Japeth Aguilar continues to rear its ugly head.

Japeth finally ended up signing a one- year contract with the Burger King Whoppers and played his first PBA game Sunday.

This was made possible by the intercession of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president and Talk ?N Text owner Manny V. Pangilinan, who was able to convince both Japeth and father Peter to sign.

However, there are reports that the compromise agreed upon will result in Japeth being traded by Burger King, a company in which Pangilinan has a substantial stake, to another team, eventually landing with Talk ?N Text. (The PBA prohibits direct trade between sister teams.?Ed.)

If that happens, Japeth could soon be released to the Smart Gilas national team.

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What was all this circus about?

In my opinion, and knowing how basketball and business operate in this country, there seems to be a couple of big-time interested parties here trying to save face by striking a deal.

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The PBA hierarchy was constantly quoted saying they did not want anyone to make a mockery of their rules.

They keep hammering the fact that Japeth was not taking the rules of the league seriously when he showed up for the PBA draft only to refuse to sign after he was drafted.

After the announcement of the belated contract signing, there were insinuations that it was Japeth?s allure for ?double the money? that made him decide to sign. He would, supposedly, receive salaries from both Burger King and Smart Gilas.

Sources close to the deal, however, say otherwise.

It appears that it is Burger King which will make money out of this whole scenario. They have been known to sell their prized players in the past.

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Allow me to refresh your memory as to why I always consider Japeth?s case to be different from those of the other players who participated in the draft.

It was very clear from the start that Japeth?s intention was to play for the national team and not the PBA.

However, it was a condition set by national coach and Burger King coach Yeng Guiao that Japeth had to be part of the draft in order for him to get a slot in the National Team.

The relationship between coach Yeng and the Aguilar family made a turn for the worse after the coach?s supposed verbal tirades against Japeth during the Fiba Asia tournament in Tianjin, China. This was what caused the problem and made the Aguilar family decide against letting Japeth play for coach Yeng.

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This whole scenario has left a bad taste in the mouth of many PBA fans.

The Filipino will always root for the underdog, especially when he is up against the rich and powerful.

This issue has been a thorn on the side of the PBA.

The public reaction has been very strong in favor of Japeth.

In fact, he drew generous applause from the crowd in the recent Smart Gilas-Powerade charity game where he scored 24 points and four rebounds.

He obviously has the people?s sympathy.

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Legally, he would not have done anything wrong by not signing the contract with Burger King.

In my opinion, the PBA could have let him go?it would have been better for the league if it did so since Japeth?s case is really that different.

Such a move would have gained the league the goodwill they sorely need.

Please send comments to tommymanotoc@yahoo.com