Supposed head coach Yeng Guiao said that one of the reasons had been player availability, that his request of having his preferred players was denied. With that, fans jumped into conclusion that the PBA teams are to blame.
However, Philippine Olympic Committee president and PBA chairman Ricky Vargas said that the league doesn’t deserve to be put in a bad light, that the people should also understand where the PBA is coming from.
“‘Di naman tama yun kung yun ang dahilan,” said Vargas on Friday afternoon in a phone interview with reporters at the league’s office in Libis, Quezon City.
Vargas said that providing many players for the national team will hurt the league, especially in terms of scheduling. Had the teams pushed through, the league would have to tweak all the teams’ sets of games.
The PBA has had its share of scheduling problems this season, as they had already given way to the windows of the FIBA World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers. And just recently, the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup semis was delayed due to bad weather.
“If we try to put together the borrowing of players in each and every team, we have to reschedule the PBA. Magbibigay tayo ng laro,” disclosed the 66-year-old executive.
“‘Di pwedeng i-adjust lahat ng schedule ng buong teams.”
Still, according to Vargas, it’s not the only reason behind the pullout. The league chair said many factors – as the SBP have laid out in their statement – led to the withdrawal, and blaming the PBA is not right.
“Naiintindihan ko mga nagsusulat sa social media. But they have to understand the context,” he pointed out.
“We are saying the reasons for the decision.”
