Despite crises, PBA still best show in town

Commissioner Jun Bernardino of the PBA pointed to several key factors that somehow kept the crowd away from the games this year, particularly in the early part of the Governor’s Cup which ended with a big San Miguel Beer victory over Purefoods last week at the Philsports Arena.

And the biggest reason, according to Bernardino, is the poor economic situation the country is in right now. The peso continuously sinking against the dollar, gasoline prices going up nearly twice than the previous year, and the rising cost of prime commodities do not help at all.

"People are hard up and when the economy is down, normally they will tend to look after their stomach first," he said. "Then there’s the impeachment trial of President Estrada which also seems to take away some of our fans who, instead of going to the games, would rather join rallies... pro-Erap or anti-Erap, and with the trial on TV."

Then there’s the factor regarding game venues, particularly the Philsports Arena in Pasig where public transportation is not readily available to the fans. Gate receipts at Philsports this year would pale in comparison to those from the Araneta Coliseum, the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City or other provincial venues.

"Hirap talaga kami puntahan ng tao sa Philsports. That’s why we’ve been providing shuttle services (from the venue to Shaw Blvd.) after the games just to be of service to the PBA fans," said Bernardino of the same venue that housed the league from the late ’80s to the early ’90s.

"Let us not also forget that there are other alternatives now. Hindi kamukha noon na halos basketball lang ang diversion ng tao. Now there are other leagues, too. There are a lot of malls to visit. There are computers or the internet that take so much time away from the people. Those are the things. Those are the factors," added Bernardino.

Another factor, he said, may be the stigma of the Fil-Am controversy which led to the deportation of PBA crowd-drawers like Paul Asi Taulava and Sonny Alvarado, the sidelining of Eric Menk, an MVP material, and the early departures of such talents like Rob Parker and Al Segova.

"That issue might still be there but that has been long been settled. Tapos na ‘yan. I just hope it will be forgotten because we’ve found the formula that will not allow anybody again to go around the rules. It’s a pity because we lost players who could have easily developed a lot of fans," Bernardino stressed.

The PBA chief, however, is taking everything with a grain of salt.

In fact, Bernardino considers them as a challenge for the league to keep its mind open to changes that would eventually benefit all parties concerned — from his office down to the teams, the players and most importantly, the fans.

Bernardino said in as much as the PBA would like to stay at the Philsports (where they also hold office), they are also looking at the Big Dome as venue for more games because of the location and accessibility factor. Most especially that construction of the MRT has been finished, giving the fans coming from the northern side of the Metro Manila greater access to the games.

"Mas dumami talaga ang nanonood sa Araneta after the completion of the MRT as against before when the traffic situation was so terrible with its construction. But I think we’ll maintain our main office at Philsports because we can’t play on a daily basis in Araneta because of the other activities there like cockfighting and sometimes religious gatherings," added Bernardino.

He said he met recently with Pasay City Mayor Peewee Trinidad on how best they can make a PBA comeback at the Cuneta Astrodome. But there are a lot of things to be done at the Pasay venue, according to Bernardino, and it will take a lot of money to repair the playing court, the dugouts, the stands and the air-conditioning.

"If Mayor Trinidad has the money, then it’s fine. If not, we can help them with the money until it’s fully paid. But he has presented options and one is to completely turn over management to us. That is a very workable option. And it’s just a matter of being able to convince the board that the Astrodome is being made available to us on a straight management basis," Bernardino said.

"If you are to rate the Astrodome on a 1-to-10 basis, the last time I saw it was at four. But what’s important with the Astrodome is the accessibility to the venue. Not just in terms of public transportation but in terms on ingress and egress," Bernardino said. "The PBA has made its options open all the time. We never close our minds to anything. If people have a hard time going to the venues, you have to bring the games closer to them."

Bernardino said the PBA, celebrating its silver anniversary this year, is also considering having more playing days than the usual Wednesday-Friday-Sunday schedule. But this could only take effect in 2002 when the league might finally accept the application of at least two new members.

"We’re looking at Saturdays not only for regular or provincial venues but for games in other venues here in Metro Manila. Weekend games now loom as a possibility. Tamang-tama because new teams might come in by 2002 and that will require more playing days," Bernardino added.

"But the most important thing here – and it has always been our backbone -- is the level of competition. You can do everything that you want in the PBA or any other league, but if the competition is not there, if the product is not there, that if the game itself is not enticing and inviting, nothing will happen."

And that makes the PBA stand out from the rest.