MANILA—Alaska team owner Fred Uytengsu is not backing off from what he claims are violations of the salary cap of players in the Philippine Basketball Association.
PBA Commissioner Chito Salud. Photo by Nuki Sabio
This came as league commissioner Chito Salud raised the threat of sanctions on teams violating the salary cap Monday.
“If [Salud] is sincere and serious about this, [he should] post the salaries of each and every player in the PBA for all to see,” Uytengsu said.
“If the players are being paid the right salaries and the right taxes, then there should be nothing to worry about. As far as I’m concerned these are public documents.”
The Alaska team owner said he is “willing to pay several players more than P350,000 a month if they increase the team’s individual cap.”
“Keeping the cap low works to the honest team’s disadvantage because then it’s much easier to pay P450,000 or P500,000,” Uytengsu said.
Uytengsu revealed that his team lost Larry Fonacier (to Talk ‘N Text) because an increase in his salary wouldn’t fit into the salary cap.
He had warned in a press conference last week that there was graft and corruption in the PBA but that it hasn’t grown to proportions that would convince him to quit the league.
But he added that if Alaska sees the league’s foundation crumbling beyond repair, he would have to look elsewhere.
In a prepared statement, Salud cautioned Uytengsu to be careful with his allegations of salary cap violations by some teams, saying they “are critical issues which must be discussed in a reasonable manner, primarily within the confines of the PBA board room.”
Salud said upholding the rules of the league was also his advocacy.
“The vast majority of our players and team officials abide by the rules, so it is unfair to tar them with sweeping statements,” he said. “Let’s call a spade, a spade. By its very nature, this is one issue where proof is hard to come by and innuendos easy to make. But it does not mean it does not happen.”