CONVERGE urged the PBA board to re-evaluate its policy regarding the appointment of a public servant to the league's all-powerful body.
Converge team owner Dennis Uy made the appeal in a statement on Friday, just days after the appointment of Pampanga Governor Dennis ‘Delta’ Pineda as governor of the franchise was turned down by the board.
READ: Why PBA board rejected Pineda appointment
The board cited the league being ‘apolitical in its affairs’ as reason for not accepting Pineda, currently the governor of Pampanga and a member of an influential political family, as representative of the FiberXers in the league board.
“Converge is urging that this policy be revisited or, at the very least, more liberally interpreted so as not to negate the owner’s prerogative and for the betterment of the PBA and Philippine basketball,” part of Uy’s statement read.
The one-year-old franchise which brought the Alaska team, said it regretted the decision of the board not to accept the appointment of Pineda, who the team believes will work tirelessly for the league just like its past and present leaders.
“We believe that new ideas, fresh perspectives, and better and stronger competition which Gov. Pineda would definitely bring to the PBA could only attract a wider, bigger fan base for our players and the league,” said Uy.
The Converge owner also underlined his prerogative to appoint his representative to the board.
“We also advocate openness and less rigidity so that this prerogative can be reasonably and judiciously upheld in the face of clear, compelling reasons for why a Delta Pineda sitting in the PBA can only make PBA stronger and its fans better served,” Uy said.
In parting, Converge also believed ‘the appointment of a public servant in the PBA board of governors would not necessarily make it political.’
Here's the official statement:
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