FILIPINO Basketball League (Filbasket) and Pilipinas Super League collaborated with the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) as the two cage bodies are eyeing to kick off their respective tournaments next month as the latest pro leagues in the country.
Officials of both leagues sat down and spoke with GAB chairman Baham Mitra and commissioner Eduard Trinidad and discussed the requirements needed in becoming the latest member of the growing pro sports family in the country.
Likewise, executives of Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup also paid a courtesy call to Mitra and Trinidad at the GAB office a day after Filbasket and PSL visited.
Filbasket is set to kick off its first season as a pro league on March 15 with 12 participating teams, while the PSL inaugural tournament is booked for a March 18 opener in Dipolog City.
Jai Reyes is president and co-founder of Fil-basket, with former Sta. Lucia governor and team manager Buddy Encarnado as chairman.
Marc Pingris meanwhile, is commissioner of PSL, under the leadership of Rocky Chan.
Marc Pingris remains active in basketball.
“We understand that not everybody can be accommodated in the PBA. It’s good that there are new and aspiring leagues that are taking the initiative to level the playing field for other athletes,” said Mitra in a statement.
During the meeting, Encarnado and Reyes regretted the miscommunication it had with GAB when it conducted its inaugural tournament at the Subic Bay gymnasium three months ago without the appropriate permit from the agency.
The issue even reached the confines of Malacanang, which referred to the staging of the tournament as ‘unlawful,’ at a time when Filbasket was already through with its tournament.
“Let us now put aside the past and focus on how we can provide opportunities for many more players to earn a livelihood in basketball,” added Mitra.
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