Olongapo Volunteers

The Metropolitan Basketball Association gained a strong ally when Tourism Secretary Dick Gordon backed the entry of an Olongapo franchise into the league. Gordon, an avid basketball fan and former cheerleader, strongly believes in the power of working together for a common vision, whether or not one is compensated.

"Volunteerism is a history in Olongapo. We don’t wait to be served. We just move forward, take responsibility without having to be told what to do. Like in the case of Pinatubo, like in the case of Subic, we do it without pay; we do it for the country. We do it for the community. I think if we can do it with the other teams that will be great. Because as far as vision is concerned, you create a work ethic also.

"I think it is very good for our country to have teams based in the cities and provinces of this country," he adds. "It creates a sense of community, a sense of country, in a sense that competing teams from the provinces play together. And they say that if the games are fought well and fought hard and at the end of the game they show great sportsmanship, great teammanship, then you’ve got a very good example to our country."

Contrary to some public opinion, Gordon disagrees that a regional league would further subdivide the country. Instead, he thinks it can be a strong tool for unity.

"I think we put this out not to create further tribalism, but to unite the country through sports and tourism."

One thing that Gordon has been adamant about is Filipinos to have a greater sense of belonging and personal history. He says that playing in various venues can be a means of fostering pride as a community.

"It creates a consciousness of your home," he explains. "Remember the song of Paul Anka, ‘My Hometown.’ I think it’s about time that we start looking at our roots. In our roots, there will always be places where we can go. And when you have games on a home-and-away basis like what we’re going to do here, that means people will be visiting each other. It’s not just to be a source of pride for the community, but for the players to see what the other communities are like. And they themselves could be the ones to endorse tourism in the country. And tourism means jobs."

Olongapo has a great deal of talent, and Gordon says a lot of their players have already made it into other leagues. But although having a competitive team is important, there are higher values involved.

"This is another way of promoting domestic tourism and eventually also encourages people to be in the big leagues someday, that this is a step towards being a better league, a better opportunity for our people. And hopefully, we can eventually have these people speak about our country very, very well."

If Gordon has his way, then the Olongapo Volunteers will win games not just with their competitive spirit, but with their sportsmanship and hospitality.

On another subject, I was saddened by the news that Romel Adducul would not be able to join the PBA draft, but more for the way it was handled than anything else. Frankly, I found it odd that a player would enter the draft without having first secured clearance from his previous employers. Adducul, the MBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2000 and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, still has two years left in his deal with the LBC Batangas Blades.

"We cannot release a player of Romel’s stature without receiving anything in return," says MBA chairman and Blades owner Santi Araneta. "We did not initiate his move to join the PBA. If there won’t be any compensation for our having nurtured Romel’s talent and helping in his development, not to mention the years left on his contract, then it would be quite unfair for us."

Romel was in tears upon hearing the news. The PBA would have welcomed him with open arms, FedEx was set to make him the first pick and surround him with fellow former MBA players. And, with the rookie cap being waived for pros from the MBA, he was set to make an even bigger fortune. Now, he will have to wait at least another year. The best thing for Romel now is to increase his value even further by dominating the league if he can.

The question is, who told him he could just walk away from a legally binding document without compensating his employers?

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For more news on the PBA draft, MBA movements and the national team’s status, tune in to The Basketball Show on RPN 9 this Sunday at 2 p.m.