Blackwater owner hoping for the best amid lockout fears

The impasse between the PBA Board of Governors remain, but Blackwater team owner Dioceldo Sy observed that cooler heads have prevailed since the two sides’ war of words two weeks ago.

Sy is also expecting the search for the next PBA commissioner to commence soon.

“Now, it’s no longer that heated in the board room. The five teams are more or less agreeing to have a search committee on the new commissioner,” he said.

“I heard there are plans to have a search committee to see who are available candidates and I heard the Board might be working on it. Maybe by next week, there should be a good news that will come up.”

But the annual planning held in Los Angeles, where it was expected that the issue regarding Chito Narvasa’s fate as commissioner would be resolved, was for naught with four governors–including chairman Ramoncito Fernandez of NLEX—absent from the trip.

Blackwater is with the seven-team bloc, together with NLEX, TNT, Meralco, Alaska, Rain or Shine, and Phoenix calling for the head of commissioner Chito Narvasa, while the five others — San Miguel, Ginebra, Star, GlobalPort, and Kia, have all backed the beleaguered league executive.

With the fire between the Board of Governors still yet to be doused, expressed worries about a possibility of a lockout in the PBA’s 43rd season.

Sy shared that the possibility of the seven teams excusing themselves from playing was initially discussed when the status of Narvasa’s commissionership first came up.

“When they were fighting for the commissioner, we said that if they force it, the seven teams might not play, so there’s gonna be a lockout because the five other teams cannot play on their own,” he said.

But he is hopeful that the whatever issue affecting the league would be resolved in time for the opening of the 43rd season.

“Let’s hope for the best. Let’s just hope that there won’t be any lockout. We don’t want to see something like the NBA lockout a few years ago and there’s no tournament. We need to give fans assurance that by December 17, the PBA should be on the roll already,” he said.