PBA Nominates MVP, 3 Others to SBP Board

By Nelson Beltran
The Philippine Star, 23 May 2008

The Philippine Basketball Association named yesterday Talk n Text team owner Manny V. Pangilinan as one of its four nominees in the SBP board of trustees – the initial step that could lead to his reelection as president of the national cage federation.

The PBA board, in a resolution passed in a meeting yesterday, also named current chairman Tony Chua, immediate past chairman Ricky Vargas and commissioner Sonny Barrios as its three other nominees to the SBP board.

Under the SBP by-laws, the PBA, representing the professional sector, is entitled to four nominees in the 25-man SBP board from where the new federation president will come during its election of officers on June 12.

At press time, the SBP nominations and memberships committee, chaired by Ely Capacio, was finalizing the list of nominees to be presented to the SBP executive committee today.

Eleven will come from the geographical sector, five school-based, three from commercial and two from special sector.

PBL commissioner Chino Trinidad and Harbour Centre owner Mikee Romero are likely to represent the commercial sector, BEST founder Nic Jorce the special sector and NAASCU’s Jay Adalem, UAAP’s Junjun Capistrano and NCAA’s Ding Lozano among those likely to represent the school leagues.

Meanwhile, a STAR source said BAP leaders Cong. Luis Villafuerte and former Cong. Prospero Pichay are likely to seek a Temporary Restraining Order to stop the holding of the SBP election.

Villafuerte, supposedly acting in his capacity as SBP chairman, had even called their own meeting last Saturday at the Century Park Sheraton Hotel. They deferred holding their own election, though.