SMC group stands by Narvasa, questions move by ‘renegade’ PBA governors

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

The San Miguel bloc has put its foot down and backed PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa amid move to oust the league’s chief.

The SMC group, namely San Miguel, Ginebra, and Star, together with GlobalPort and Kia expressed their support for the beleaguered executive after seven members of the PBA Board of Governors voted not to renew the tenure of Narvasaa after a special board meeting earlier in the day.

San Miguel governor Robert Non said in a that these members “cannot just act on a whim.”

READ: PBA board opts not to renew Narvasa’s term as commissioner

“What they are doing is not in accordance with our by-laws and constitution.” said Non, who spoke in behalf of the five team governors who were a no-show on Thursday’s special board meeting.

“All five teams – San Miguel, Ginebra, Star, Kia and Globalport – stand behind Commissioner Narvasa. He enjoys our full support and we have prevailed upon him to stay and do what is right,” Non said.

Non also branded the seven governors as a “renegade bloc,” noting that the group seeking Narvasa’s ouster “is unauthorized and not binding under the league’s by-laws and constitution.”

READ: TNT management blasts Narvasa: ‘He is biased’ 

“These officials do not constitute the majority needed to remove or appoint the commissioner and thereafter, make any changes in the PBA structure,” the team executive said.

Non argued that under PBA rules, a majority in board is two-thirds of its current membership, which constitutes to eight of the current 12 members. He also said that NLEX”s Ramon Fernandez is not yet the PBA chairman.

“So without this clear majority, all changes being made by these renegade members are not allowed, including the appointment of Rickie Santos as officer-in-charge, and would not be binding on the whole board membership,” he said.

READ: PBA Board to back Narvasa on controversial SMB-Kia trade

“This includes as well the misrepresentation of NLEX board member Ramon Fernandez as PBA chairman, when in fact, the sitting chairman is still GlobalPort’s Mikee Romero.”

Non said that moves like this could set a precedent, cheapening the position of the commissioner going forward.

“If we allow that to happen, then this will weaken the Commissioner’s Office and turn it into a puppet of whoever is the most powerful among the team owners,” he said.