THE Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup is not in any way competing with the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), according to league officials.
All the upstart league’s desire is to provide a means of livelihood not only for players, but other affected personnel involved in the game of basketball especially at this time of the worsening case of the pandemic.
VisMin Cup COO Rocky Chan hopes the MPBL would reconsider its decision to classify players who are going to suit up in the VisMin Cup as professionals, and therefore subject to limitations for ex-pros as per the rules of the three-year old regional cage league.
“We respect their decision on the matter because it’s their league,” said Chan, adding that he holds the MPBL and its founder Senator Manny Pacquiao in high regard.
“We just hope they would reconsider their decision kasi at the end of the day, ang kawawa are the players.
“For us at VisMin, and with our current situation and crisis, di n namain iniisip yung status. What we are thinking is to be able to generate jobs for the players, coaches, utilities, cameramen, commentators, among others,” he added. “With the Visayas and Mindanao leg, we would be able to provide jobs for more or less 500 individuals and be able to help their families. That’s our goal for now.”
The VisMin Cup is set for an April 9 inaugural with the holding of the Visayas leg in Alcantara, Cebu.
But a week before its opener, the MPBL came up with the memorandum that is expected to have an effect on the players seeing action in the VisMin Cup, which is a pro league unlike the MPBL.
Under its rules, MPBL allows each team to include seven ex-pros to their roster, with only five of them allowed to play per game.
The memorandum was also issued in the wake of the decision of two MPBL teams to take its act to the VisMin Cup, namely Basilan and Valenzuela.
The Basilan Steel, which got embroiled in a heated dispute with the MPBL hierarchy after being declared loser by default in the recent league playoffs in the aftermath of its four players testing positive for COVID-19, will be carrying the moniker Peace Riders, while Valenzuela will be known as the MJAS Zenith Talisay Aquastars.
There were also talks that several MPBL ballclubs are forging tie-ups with other VisMin Super Cup teams.
Generate jobs and at the same time, to provide entertainment to the basketball loving Filipinos are foremost in the outline of the VisMin Super Cup launching, according to Chan.
“Everyone must help each other, and provide our people even on television and social media a venue to again watch and provide entertainment thru basketball,” said the VisMin Cup official.
“Huwag natin ipagkait sa Pinoy at huwag natin ipagkait na tuluy-tuloy ang hanapbuhay ng mga players kung totoo na iniisip nila ang kapakanan ng mga ito,” Chan added. “This is not about the status of professional and amateur. The bigger picture is these players are sacrificing to provide for their families.”
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