THE close ties will have to take a backseat.
Yeng Guiao admitted his friendship with Pampanga Gov. Dennis ‘Delta’ Pineda and Converge team owner Dennis Uy, but draws the line ahead of his Rain or Shine team's quarterfinals series against the FiberXers in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup playoffs.
The Elasto Painters set the stage for their best-of-three showdown with the third-seeded FiberXers following their 106-96 win over TNT Tropang Giga on Friday night during the final playdate of the eliminations at the Philsports Arena.
READ Rain or Shine downs TNT to dodge battle for No. 8
Rain or Shine ended with a 7-5 record and finished No. 6 in the standings, setting the stage for an interesting series featuring two of the league’s independent franchises.
“Actually, sobrang malapit ako kina Delta tsaka kina Dennis Uy. Pero ibang usapan ito,” Guiao said. “Parang pamilya sila. Pero pagdating sa ganito, mauuna muna yung interes ng Rain or Shine.”
Delta acts as one of the FiberXers’ deputy coaches and he was on the bench the first time the team met the Elasto Painters last January 14 - a 103-96 Converge win of a game that saw Guiao getting ejected in the third quarter.
Guiao’s affiliation with the Pinedas stemmed from him serving as vice governor of Lilia Pineda – mother of Delta - during the time when she was governor of Pampanga from 2010-13.
The 65-year-old coach also disclosed he served as godfather during the wedding of Converge team governor Archen Cayabyab, who is married to Delta’s sister Mylyn Pineda, a board member in Pampanga’s second district and former mayor of Lubao.
Furthermore, the Pineda matriarch served as Lubao mayor during the time when Guiao’s late father, Bren Z. Guiao, was the governor of Pampanga.
“Yung political career ni Tita Baby (Lilia Pineda) nagsimula nung time na ang father ko ang governor ng Pampanga,” the Rain or Shine coach later shared to SPIN.ph.
“Kaya malalim talaga yung pinag-samahan namin.”
But the interest of the franchise he has guided to two PBA championships is his main priority that he’s setting aside his closeness with the Converge people at the moment.
For Guiao, may the best team win.
“Laban-laban talaga ito,” stressed the Rain or Shine coach.
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