Caught flatfooted by a recent decision that puts them under the category of a professional league, the Philippine SuperLiga (PSL), Premier Volleyball League (PVL) and the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) will hold consultations within their groups to figure out what their next move will be.
The PSL and the PVL will huddle with their team officials to discuss the joint resolution released on Thursday by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
The MPBL, meanwhile, will seek the advice of its corporate counsel.
“I have to see the joint resolution and go over it with PSL teams, other leagues and colleges, a number of which give allowances and scholarships which definitely have a value in money,’’ PSL chair Philip Ella Juico said on Friday.
Under the GAB-PSC Joint Resolution No. 2020-01, professional sports or competitions refer to individual or team sports, games, contest, bouts and tournaments where the participating athletes are paid sums of money or other forms of compensation such as salaries or prizes.
GAB Chair Abraham Mitra explained that once an athlete gets paid and does not play for flag and country, the athlete is considered a professional athlete.
“I am assuming we are covered by this. But I think this is unfair. This decision was made without the benefit of hearing our side,’’ PVL president Ricky Palou said.
“Obviously, I’ll have to discuss this with the teams. After that, I’d like to ask for a joint meeting with the GAB and PSC,’’ Palou sad.
The joint resolution defined an athlete as professional when he or she is paid a sum of money or other equivalent compensation as a salary or prize money for participating either as an individual or member of a team in a game or tournament.
The order, however, excluded athletes who are paid with “token amounts’’ or such amounts that do not exceed the reasonable expenses incurred by the athlete in attending the competition or match, such as uniforms, equipment, transportation, board and lodging, among others.
“Does it include collegiate and interbarangay players? I will ask our counsel on the course of action that we will take,’’ MPBL commissioner Kenneth Duremdes said.
The resolution explained further that sports activities conducted by promoters, operators, owners or leagues, foundations or athletic societies for a profit are considered professional in nature.
Being put under the GAB supervision means leagues will have to operate under standards set by the body. It will also mean an added financial burden for leagues, which will need to seek licenses for itself, its players and its television contracts. The Philippine Basketball Association, for example, is under GAB’s jurisdiction and licenses for players cost P4,500 each.
“But it may be smaller for the new leagues, depending on the board,” Mitra told the Inquirer.