5-man body to tackle Fil-Shams

Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner Noli Eala is determined to get to the bottom of the Fil-Sham controversy as he’s set a timetable of 1 1/2 to two months to complete a report on who’s fake and who’s not among the league’s 26 Fil-foreign players.

Eala told The Star yesterday he will convene a five-man committee to undertake the study on instructions from the PBA Board of Governors.

In a meeting last Tuesday, the Board suggested a two-week deadline but Eala sought an extension to a maximum of two months, explaining that it will take that much time for an independent investigative body to submit a conclusive report.

Eala declined to identify the nominees for the committee but said two will likely be lawyers. He added that a slot may be offered to a representative from media.

"We will assemble the committee, formulate a plan of action and submit a budget to the Board before the actual work begins," said Eala.

The initial target for investigation will be the five players singled out by the Senate for deportation and three others under suspicion. But Eala said the study — an offshoot of the league’s proactive position on the Fil-Sham issue — will look into the papers of all 26 Fil-foreigners on team rosters.

"If in the course of the study, the Department of Justice revokes the citizenship of certain Fil-foreigners and the Bureau of Immigration then orders their deportation, then the players involved are out of our hands," said Eala. "Any government ruling will supersede whatever recommendations the PBA makes."

Eala admitted the cloud of doubt on the legitimacy of certain alleged Fil-foreign players has turned off some fans and contributed to the drop in the league’s popularity. That’s why the league is determined to put an end to all doubts with the release of a comprehensive no-nonsense report, he said.

Eala mentioned that once the Fil-Sham issue is settled, he will recommend to the Board a new set of eligibility guidelines to be applied starting next season. It will be a fresh start for the PBA, he noted. Eala declined to disclose what guidelines he has in mind.

With regard to the scope of the proposed committee’s work, Eala said it will do whatever it takes to get to the root of the problem. He said the committee may even take trips to the provinces to trace and interview alleged relatives of Fil-foreigners.

While the government has not revoked the citizenship of any Fil-foreigner and the PBA is still in the process of making its own study, Eala said the 26 players will be permitted to play in the Third Conference starting Aug. 30. He reiterated that nobody is above the law but everyone is entitled to his day in court. Since the 26 Fil-foreigners were issued citizenship papers by government, they will be presumed innocent until proved guilty.

Eala also said he is now busy preparing the PBA’s business plan for next year to be submitted to the Board for approval.

Included in Eala’s proposed agenda is toughening the Philippine team for international competitions. "We’ve seen in history that when our Philippine team is successful overseas or even if it only qualifies for the World Championships or Olympics, we enjoy a boom in basketball," said Eala. "Perhaps, that’s a cue for us to look into how we could strengthen our national team. In 2006, the World Championships will be held in Saitama, Japan, where 24 teams are participating. Three slots are reserved for Asia aside from host Japan. If we set a goal of qualifying for the World Championships, that means finishing in the top three in the 2005 Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) tournament. We will study how the PBA could be involved in this mission."

Eala said the PBA season could be reworked to leave a break for players to compete in overseas tournaments such as the ABC. A possible scenario would be for the PBA to follow the National Basketball Association (NBA) calendar.

Eala stressed nothing is certain until the Board approves what is recommended on the table.