No offense meant

Several days after making the shocking announcement that the Blackwater PBA franchise is for sale, Ever Bilena CEO and team owner Dioceldo Sy is singing a different tune. He says he never expected the news to go viral. Sy is humbling himself, appealing for understanding and willing to accept whatever sanctions the PBA will decide as a result of his “outburst of emotion.”

“I’ve cooled down,” he says. “Sorry to the PBA and GAB. Honestly, I thought I didn’t do anything wrong. If I thought I did something wrong, why would I broadcast it on TV? I was being transparent. I’m actually quite excited about the PBA season restarting because I think our team will be very competitive with our new coach Nash (Racela) and a good lineup of players.”

According to Sy, he dropped by the Aero Center Basketball Court on Quezon Avenue to check on some of the Blackwater players whom he heard were shooting around last Saturday. “Nash was there with two of our bigs, James Sena and Jon Gabriel,” he recounts. “They weren’t playing one-on-one, they were just taking shots. Safety protocols were being followed. I talked with Nash about his plans for training and using two courts at a time. We’ve done rapid-testing on all our players and everyone is negative.”

When he was interviewed on TV last Monday, Sy disclosed visiting the shoot-around two days earlier. Before he knew it, word got around that Blackwater had violated the PBA rule of no practice until the IATF signs the Joint Administrative Order. Sy was stunned because he acted in good faith. Then came the big blow.  He was told that he would be sanctioned and fined.

“Sobrang uminit ang ulo ko,” Sy says. “You know, there’s pressure in the office, sales are slow because of the pandemic. In all my life, I’ve never been sanctioned or fined. I’m just a simple guy, ‘di ako pala-away. I treat the men in the PBA as barkada. Nabigla ako and at the same time, I was sad. So I said things I shouldn’t have. I apologize for this. Through my brother Silliman, who’s a member of the PBA Board of Governors, I reached out to GAB chairman Baham (Mitra). I asked if we could meet to explain my side but he told Silliman it’s OK, he understands and no need to meet.”

As for selling the franchise, Sy says he won’t let go because basketball will always be his passion. “Besides, I know no one’s in the market to buy a PBA franchise because of the pandemic,” he says. “I was just venting.” But wait. Sy says after news of his “outburst” went viral, he got word that investors from China, Japan and Korea are interested to buy in. “I was surprised,” he says. “I don’t know if foreign participation is allowed by the PBA. If ever, I’ll hold on to at least 50 percent of the franchise but I’ll ask commissioner Willie (Marcial) for advice and go through the process of getting guidance from the Board. Whatever happens, I’m honoring my commitments with the PBA. If the Board decides that I shouldn’t pursue entertaining offers from foreign investors, I’ll abide. I never imagined something like this would come out from what I said in media, totally unsolicited.” It’s possible that basketball officials from other Asian countries want to be involved in the PBA so they can learn from the experience of growing the league since 1975 and applying the formula to their marketplace.

Sy says he has a meeting with Marcial on Tuesday. “The fine is not a problem,” he says. “I’m paying that. I’m hoping the Board will accept my apology. I’m sorry for what happened. Pasensya na. I think it was also a wake-up call for the other teams that just in case they have plans to restart training early, we should all wait for the JAO. It’s also a lesson for all of us to stay calm in this pandemic.”