Good riddance, Bates

Former PBA import Billy Ray Bates is finally gone from the Philippines but he’s threatening to return in April after undergoing hip surgery in Los Angeles to marry a Filipina washerwoman.

It wasn’t easy escorting Bates out of the country. PBA licensing manager Rhose Montreal personally made sure he was on the Philippine Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles last Tuesday. Bates created a mini-scandal at the terminal before finally taking off.

“I was so stressed that I even used my own money just to get him to leave,” said an exasperated Montreal. “At the airport, he was even trying to borrow money from immigration officers – P2,000 – which he promised to pay as soon as his companion from the PBA could withdraw from an ATM machine. That companion happened to be me and I certainly wasn’t going to withdraw anything from the ATM. On the way to the plane, he was also trying to borrow a cellphone to speak with his Filipina girlfriend waiting outside.”

Bates met his girlfriend Christine when he stayed at the Eastwood condo unit provided by the ABL team Philippine Patriots last year. Christine was employed in the laundry section of the condo housekeeping. Bates was contracted by the Patriots to be a skills coach until he was sacked for disciplinary reasons. “He told me Christine stood by him through the good and bad times so he wants to marry her,” said Montreal. “But Bates is still married to his wife Beverly in New Jersey. He’s thinking of filing a divorce.”

Bates took Christine to live with him at the Fojas home in San Pedro, Laguna, until they were both run out for overstaying their welcome. They went to Tiwi, Albay, where Christine is from after he was arrested for throwing a rock at a car in a drunken state in Cubao one early morning. Then, they returned to Manila and rented a place in San Andres Bukid near Alabastro Street. Christine did washing to earn some income to pay the rent.

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“I told Bates to meet me at a 7-11 store in San Andres so we could go to the airport together,” said Montreal. “He got to the store in a tricycle and didn’t have money to pay the fare. I paid P100 out of my own pocket. He told Christine to follow to the airport so he could give her some money. Bates was banking on the $200 pocket money Mr. (Mikee) Romero gave for him. I was instructed to give the money only when Bates was on board the plane. Bates left a lot of unpaid debts even in Tiwi. After Bates left, I met with Christine and ended up giving her P1,000 because she only had P2 in her wallet. Christine wasn’t too happy the way Bates left her with a lot of unsettled bills.”

The airport scene was circus-like. Bates had overstuffed his luggage with a lot of non-essentials and was being charged $200 for overweight. The amount was scaled down to $150 to $100 which Montreal paid for as Bates rearranged the things, including at least 10 pairs of Grosby Black Superman shoes, in his luggage. Bates opened his suitcases in front of the check-in counter, repacked and even removed things. Bates was also assessed a penalty of over P20,000 for overstaying in the country. Montreal said the penalty was eventually reduced to P7,000 after a lot of pleading with immigration agents.

“When Bates arrived in Manila in September 2001, he was supposed to stay less than a week,” said Montreal. “The PBA provided two round-trip tickets for Bates and his wife. He came alone and the ticket for his wife went unused but was paid for. He could only stay up to 21 days but was allowed to stay longer because of his job with the Patriots. Not too many people know that last August, Bates left Manila to undergo an MRI for his hip in Los Angeles. Grosby paid for his round-trip ticket and he was back here after a week. Grosby was very kind to Bates. They relaunched his Black Superman shoe and paid him $8,000. I heard his total contract was for P1 Million but I don’t know if he received the full amount. The shoes are now in the market.”

Bates displayed flashes of mental imbalance in the airport, even threatening Montreal that he would commit suicide if she didn’t give him money. “He told me he was going to bang his head against the wall or jump out of a ledge,” said Montreal. “It was difficult talking sense with him. He called his friend Jimmy Fojas a traitor when Jimmy was the one who wrote an emotional letter to Commissioner (Chito) Salud begging to consider him for a Hall of Fame award. Jimmy is a Filipino PBA fan based in San Francisco. He went out of his way to help Bates but now, he’s supposed to be a traitor. Bates also complained about the negative stories about him in media. Bates even asked me to find employment for Christine as a cook.  I don’t know if it’s a good idea to keep a connection with Christine because Bates will use her to try to come back here.”

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Bates was able to receive medical insurance from the NBA to pay for his hip operation. “Aside from Mr. Romero’s pocket money, Bates asked for small change so he could phone friends to pick him up at the L. A. airport so I gave him $35,” said Montreal. “Bates was going around asking money from everyone. It was hard to imagine that once upon a time, he was a hero in the PBA and a cult figure in the NBA.”

To get rid of Bates, the PBA forked out about $1,100 to pay for a one-way ticket to Los Angeles. The return leg of his original round-trip ticket was unused and no longer acceptable for travel because of the one-year lapse. During his four-year NBA career, Bates earned about $6 Million with the Portland Trail Blazers, Washington Bullets (now Wizards) and Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 11.7 points in 187 total games. In two playoff series with the Blazers, Bates hit at a whopping 26.7 clip. He frittered away his earnings on drugs and booze. Bates spent close to five years in prison for robbing and slashing a gasoline station attendant’s ear with a knife. A year after his release in 2005, he was brought back to jail for violating a parole condition of staying clear of drugs.

Montreal said before leaving for Manila, Bates resigned from his graveyard-shift job as a “floor technician” with the Colgate recycling company in New Jersey. He wanted to start a new life in Manila but unfortunately, wasn’t ready to settle down. Montreal said it would be a nightmare if Bates ever returned here.