Paba open to Asa-Phil merger

THE PHILIPPINE Amateur Baseball Association (Paba) is open to a merger with the Amateur Softball Association-Philippines after their international federations had successfully combined forces to get back into the Olympic sports calendar.

Paba president Hector Navasero said they are willing to sit down and talk with their counterparts in Asa-Phil to talk about a possible merger similar to the new pact between the International Softball Federation and the International Baseball Federation.

The international baseball and softball bodies forged an agreement last April in Tokyo to solidify their campaign for the two sports to be included again in the Olympics starting in 2020.

Navasero said if Paba and Asa-Phil unite under under one banner, the associations can still exist with separate officers just like the IBF and ISF.

Asa-Phil operations manager Jun Veloso can’t be reached for comment.

The PH men’s baseball is ranked fifth in Asia behind Japan, Chinese Taipei, South Korea and China. The country is also No. 22 in the world.

The men’s and women’s softball teams, also known as the Blu Boys and the Blu Girls,  are perennial Southeast Asian Games champions along with men’s baseball.