Barrios named PBA commish

In a big turn of events, officer-in-charge Renauld “Sonny” Barrios was instead named PBA commissioner with the PBA board of governors unable to break another deadlock on its selection between nominees Atty. Chito Salud and Lambert Ramos.

After a two-and-a-half-hour meeting, board chairman Tony Chua said the board has decided to appoint Barrios as full-time commissioner while shelving their search for the next commissioner until after the league has changed status from an association to a corporate body.

The executive board that included vice chairman Joaqui Trillo and treasurer Robert Non said it came up with the decision without going through a vote.

Sources, however, said they went through four secret balloting but failed to resolve the impasse to name the next man who will run the league.

At the end of the meeting, Ramos had the 5-4 edge on his side, meaning one team decided to reverse its vote from the previous balloting last December.

Chua said they instead named Barrios as the commissioner up to the end of the season in July to keep harmony in the board.

The league officer-in-charge, however, didn’t accept the job right away, saying he has his plans and he has to consult first his family, mentors and close friends.

“The truth is I’ve been placed on a spot. It’s a big honor to be named commissioner but I was really prepared to move forward,” said Barrios.

“I’m placed in a difficult situation since I have already sacrificed the family project for the PBA. All my actions and thoughts were to move ahead after this conference. Now again I have this concern about the league,” added Barrios. “If I can’t make myself available, I have to come up with an option that will be good for the league. If I can’t come up, I have to make myself available. That’s the tough part.”

But Barrios said it’s a big honor being considered the unifying factor of the board deeply divided on the Salud-Ramos issue.

“I just hope I can meet the board’s expectation if I accept the position,” said Barrios now on the verge of becoming the league’s seventh commissioner after Leo Prieto, Mariano Yenko, Rudy Salud, Rey Marquez, Jun Bernardino and Noli Eala.

Barrios, who’s turning 60 on March 4, has served the league for nearly two decades from being an assistant executive director, finance officer, executive director and officer in charge.

He played for the Ateneo midget squads with other fellow future PBA officials Jun Bernardino and Ricky Palou. He studied at Ateneo from prep to college, graduating with a BS management degree.

The board said they would resume their search for the next commissioner after completing the league’s shift from an association to a corporation.

“It would all depend on the new structure of the league. Once we become a corporation, we may need a chief executive officer and a chief operating officer.

In the end, we may tap both men (Salud and Ramos) if they’re interested on the job,” said Chua.

Sources said several options and suggestions were raised during the meeting but none was agreed upon except naming Barrios as permanent commissioner at the moment.