PBA locals grumble over new Fil-Am guidelines

A group of concerned homegrown players said they have no choice but to accept the decision made by the PBA board of governors in adopting new policy for the suspended Fil-foreign players.

"It (the board decision) hurts but we couldn’t do anything about it but just express our opinion. It’s the group of team owners which has spoken," said Marlou Aquino in Filipino.

"We’re at a loss because we all know that the Senate conducted an investigation about this, the Department of Justice made a ruling and even the PBA had a decision. All of a sudden, the PBA made a big turnaround," Aquino added.

Aquino, together with Sta. Lucia teammates Dennis Espino and Kenneth Duremdes, and veteran free agent Jerry Codiñera graced the PSA Forum at the main function room of the Pantalan Restaurant in Manila yesterday.

The board, in a majority 4-3 vote, approved the new set of criteria in relation to the eligibility of suspended Fil-foreign players, paving the way for the automatic reinstatement of two players in Eric Menk and Rafi Reavis.

Aquino said their group is wondering why the PBA had a sudden change of heart.

"If they were to give amnesty, they should not have set the requirements in the first place," said Codiñera.

"They went through a long process only to give amnesty in the end," said Duremdes.

Under the new guidelines, a suspended player gains reinstatement if he has played at least three seasons in the league, suited up at least one-game during the 2004-05 PBA season, a Philippine passport holder and has been a member of the RP men’s team in at least one international meet.

Aquino and company said the league should have at least consulted majority of the players before approving the guidelines.

Codiñera stressed PBA commissioner Noli Eala talked to them prior to suspending the Fil-foreign players last year, and should have done the same now that a move was made by the league to accept these foreign-bred cagers.

"Well, we took his (Eala) words and parang nawala ’yung consistency ng desisyon niya," said Codiñera,

As of now, leaders of the homegrown players said they have yet to decide what course of action to take or which agency they would approach for help. — Nelson Beltran