PBA Board of Governors and PBA officials. PBA IMAGES
The PBA Board of Governors is looking to resolve the issues surrounding PBA Commissioner Chito Narvasa and other league matters in the upcoming annual planning on November 14 in Los Angeles.
“With the best interest of the league in mind, we have come to an agreement to reach out to the other members of the Board to resolve this impasse as a collegial body, not as individuals, to maintain the integrity of the PBA and protect the interest of fans nationwide,” said the minority group composed of San Miguel, Ginebra, Star, GlobalPort, and Kia in a joint statement released on Friday.
The PBA has been a divided house since Thursday, when seven teams, namely TNT, NLEX, Meralco, Alaska, Rain or Shine, Phoenix, and Blackwater concurred to no longer renew the term of Narvasa following its expiration at the end of the 42nd season, citing “loss of confidence.”
The minority bloc, meanwhile, backed Narvasa and said the move was “unauthorized and not binding under the league’s by-laws and constitution.”
For his part, Narvasa said that he’s willing to resign, but begged the Board to explain further the grounds of his possible expulsion as the league’s chief.
“What I’m saying is that procedures have to be followed and the reasons have to be clear. They have to know what the loss of confidence is constituted, and what the procedure is. It could have been discussed within the Board. Why did they have to go through all of this exercise and cause public shame?,” he said.
The 12 teams have also refrained its members from issuing any statements which would further be detrimental to the already shaky situation the league is in until after the Board deliberates on the issue.
“We still believe we are capable of being better as a group. We will do all we can not to allow this body to succumb to politicking and abandon basic human decency. We are still, after all, composed of people who uphold values and principles that made this league great through the years,” the statement said.