PBA chairman Mikee Romero and PBA media bureau chief Willie Marcial during the league’s preseason press conference. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Amid the controversy that nearly snarled the opening of the PBA’s 43rd season, chairman Mikee Romero was a picture of encouragement.
“All of us, the 12 governors, want to just talk about basketball. It’s time to move on,” said Romero in Filipino Wednesday at Okada Manila during the league’s preseason press conference.
The PBA was recently mired in an ugly impasse as the 12 board governors could not convene to decide on the future of the 2017-2018 season and the tenure of Chito Narvasa as the commissioner.
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A seven-member coalition pulling leadership from the MVP bloc is against the continuous leadership of Narvasa while the other five teams led by the SMB teams have backed the commissioner.
This impasse also prevented a new chairman to be elected, leaving Romero to continue holding the position.
Romero said there would be a time when the PBA board will “come out as a whole” to address whatever issues it may have had in the past.
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“We talked that we will have on voice, not just for the various 12 teams but for the Philippine fans of basketball,” said Romero. “We want to be one voice in representing the whole PBA.”
Romero added he wasn’t surprised that the recent impasse caused such a divide among the basketball-viewing public, but he assured that the PBA would regain their trust.
“Admittedly there were a lot of Filipino fans that were turned off and they should be,” said Romero. “I think basketball has to be played inside the basketball court. I’m a purist and I like the purity of the game.”
“Anything outside of basketball shouldn’t be discussed in the basketball court. We will assure the fans that we will provide the same entertainment, the same basketball fun that we have always provided.”