Converge is hoping that the Philippine Basketball Association’s board of governors has a change of heart regarding to their stance on politicians joining the league’s head honchos.
On Wednesday, the PBA board did not allow the FiberXers to add Pampanga Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda to replace former commissioner Chito Salud to be the team’s governor, citing their stance that they should be “apolitical.”
This is also the same reason why Northport owner and current congressman Mikee Romero has not been active in the league lately.
However, Converge is hoping that the board reconsiders this rule.
“We received with deep regret the decision of the PBA Board of Governors not to accept the appointment of Pampanga Gov. Delta Pineda as the representative of the Converge FiberXers to the Board,” read the team’s statement. “Just as other PBA leaders past and present worked tirelessly for PBA’s success, Governor Pineda will undoubtedly do the same for the league, if not more.
“We believe that new ideas, fresh perspectives, and better and stronger competition which Gov. Pineda would definitely bring to the PBA could only attract a wider, bigger fan base for our players and the league.”
For the past two decades, Pineda has been a ‘cult legend’ in basketball circles.
He has been credited for helping develop the likes of Arwind Santos, Calvin Abueva, Ian Sangalang, Justine Baltazar, and Encho Serrano.
Pineda also previously served as team booster of San Sebastian College-Recoletos and is a champion coach in NBL-Pilipinas and Pilipinas Super League.
Now, the team owned by Dennis Anthony Uy hopes that the league changes its stance on the matter.
“Not only do we continue to believe in every owner’s prerogative to appoint his representative to the Board, we also advocate openness and less rigidity so that this prerogative can be reasonably and judiciously upheld in the face of clear, compelling reasons for why a Delta Pineda sitting in the PBA can only make PBA stronger and its fans better served,” the statement said.
“The appointment of a public servant in the PBA Board of Governors would not necessarily make it political.
“Converge is urging that this policy be revisited or, at the very least, more liberally interpreted so as not to negate the owner’s prerogative and for the betterment of the PBA and Philippine basketball,” it closed.
