PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial. INQUIRER PHOTO/TRISTAN TAMAYO
MANILA, Philippines—Willie Marcial went from interim commissioner to being one of the PBA’s longest-tenured bosses in league history.
Marcial, who is in the final year of his first term, got a three-year extension as the league’s commissioner as approved by the PBA Board.
Marcial started his PBA career as a statistician in 1983 before becoming the league’s Media Bureau Chief and Special Assistant to the Commissioner. He was appointed officer-in-charge on Jan. 1, 2018—a day after then-commissioner Chito Narvasa resigned from the post.
The Batangas native eventually became the league’s full fledged commissioner on Jan. 25, 2018.
“We reappointed the commissioner for another three-year term. We were open and transparent to his performance,” said PBA Board chairman Ricky Vargas in an article on the PBA website.
“We talked to him. That’s the good thing about the board. The board decided to reappoint him for another three-year term.”
Jokingly called “Marcial Law,” Marcial’s eventual tenure will surpass the terms of Mariano Yenko (1984-87), Rudy Salud (1988-92), Rey Marquez (1992-93), Eala (2003-2007), Sonny Barrios (2008-10), Chito Salud (2010-15), and Narvasa (2015-17).
It will be the third-longest behind Leo Prieto (1975-83) and Jun Bernardino (1994-2002) who had eight years apiece at the office.
Marcial said the PBA will continue its corporate social responsibilities including surprise visits with the players to barangay courts called Home Court.