'Special committee' eyed in search for next PBA commissioner

MANILA, Philippines – A special committee from within the PBA board is likely to be formed to lead the process in search of the next PBA chief to succeed resigned commissioner Chito Narvasa.

Should this plan is approved, the search committee will run the search process and make the shortlist of candidates to be presented to the board — a deviation from the previous search where the league tapped a private headhunting group.

In the proposed scheme, the two blocs that were deeply divided in the “Narvasa issue” will have representatives in the special committee.

It could be a three-man or five-man group.

Still, the would-be PBA commissioner will need a two-thirds vote (eight teams) to get an official mandate as the 10th chieftain of the league after Leo Prieto, Mariano Yenko, Rudy Salud, Rey Marquez, Jun Bernardino, Noli Eala, Sonny Barrios, Chito Salud and Narvasa.

Narvasa is serving as league commissioner only until December 31. PBA external affairs and media bureau chief Willie Marcial will then take over as officer-in-charge.

A number of names have already been floated as possible candidates. And there are some volunteering their names to be included in the candidates list.

Former Philippine Sports Commission board member Jolly Gomez is said to be interested in the job.

Names casually mentioned right after the board resolved their conflict were lawyers Ariel Magno, Rebo Saguisag and Charlie Cuna.

Then there are Joel Banal, Chito Loyzaga and Bill Velasco.

Banal is a former champion player and champion coach who has an MBA degree and runs a school in Pasig.

Loyzaga is also a former champion player who had served as commissioner of the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association.

Velasco, now a STAR sports columnist, used to sit on the PBA TV panel and made a PBA documentary in 2015, with interviews of the most important figures in the first four decades of the league.