Pido pact with Pop hits snag

Pido Jarencio is back at Pop Cola but there’s a big possibility he would not be suiting up for the team and might just return to Tanduay Rhum before the 2001 PBA season starts if the alleged irregularity in his contract is not ironed out.

A reliable source said Pop Cola officials are considering sending Jarencio back to Tanduay after discovering he has a side contract apart from the Uniform Player Contract (UPC) filed with the PBA Commissioner’s Office.

The difference is reportedly worth millions which Pop Cola is unwilling to give the player whose service the team reacquired in a trade that also involved Rudy Hatfield and Noli Locsin.

Pop Cola found no problem with Hatfield, who became a free agent after his contract with Tanduay expired Dec. 31. The team has offered Hatfield, who is in the US, a P17 million package for three years.

The case of Jarencio can be settled if Tanduay honors the side contract and Pop Cola pays what is stipulated in the UPC.

However, if Tanduay is found to have violated the league’s salary cap restrictions, the ballclub may face stiff sanctions once again, including possible suspension of its rights for a share in the league’s television earnings over a certain period.

It will be recalled Tanduay incurred a heavy fine last year on the controversial Sonny Alvarado case.

It is widely believed that a number of teams are resorting to "under-the-table" deals in an effort to come up with a star-studded squad although one has yet to be caught violating the rule.

Last year, a team found an irregularity in the contract of one Fil-Am slotman it acquired also through a trade. But the team officials kept silent about it as the original mother team of the player assumed the side deal.

There were also reports that a number of rookie Fil-Ams were getting more than what they should get as stipulated in their respective contracts.

Meanwhile, Benjie Paras and Shell have yet to agree on the former’s contract with the ballclub.

Shell offered the two-time MVP awardee a P25-million contract for five years, or P5 million less than what Paras has bargained for last week. But the Shell stalwart added that he is open to negotiations and could agree to the team’s offer provided the bonus scheme would be restructured.

"I have once made a sacrifice for Shell back in 1996 and I’m willing to do the same thing again if only to show my loyalty to the team. Baka kasi hindi pumasok sa salary cap ng Shell ang ibang players na kinukuha namin," said Paras.

He was referring to Fil-Ams Matt Mitchell and Michael Hrabak, both 6-foot-6 cagers who are expected to boost the team’s bid in the 27th season of the PBA which fires off Jan. 28.

Shell, out to make a big turnaround after a dismal showing last season, has reportedly bought out Michell’s contract with the Cebu Gems and expressed desire to tap Hrabak, a product of Central Arkansas College, from the PBA Amateur Draft on Sunday. The Zoom Masters own the rights to the second pick overall in the draft.

At the same time, sources close to Tanduay camp claim that the team might also go after Paras even as it is set to lure MVP Danny Ildefonso of San Miguel Beer with an offer sheet amounting to P90 million in 15 years.