EVEN Ramon S. Ang, one of the wealthiest men in the country, confesses that maintaining a PBA team — let alone three — does not come cheap.
“To tell you the truth, ang laki ng ginagastos sa basketball,” he told Spin.ph in a forum with the editors of Summit Media, of which Spin.ph is a part. “I think that these three teams” — referring to Ginebra San Miguel, the San Miguel Beermen, and the Magnolia Hotshots — “di ko na babanggitin ang actual amount.”
Still, he described their expenses as “through the roof.”

It is the massive cost of maintaining the teams that has prompted, over the years, calls to step away from the PBA, Ang revealed.
“Actually, matagal nang gustong itigil ang basketball na yan e,” he continued.
He called back on some ancient history. “If you notice, even during the Aquino assassination, pinapatuloy yung PBA games,” said the president and chief executive officer of San Miguel Corporation.
In the 1984 economic recession following the assassination of Benigno S. Aquino, the PBA was forced to downsize to two All-Filipino conferences. However, that year, they still had an Invitational Conference so fans could see imports play.

Fast forward 40 years later, Ramon S. Ang and SMC remain just as committed to basketball. Why?
The San Miguel big boss said the most popular sport in the country performs an all-important public service of its own, especially in tough times.
“Sobrang laki ng gastos niyan,” he repeated. “Pero pagbigyan mo na. Entertainment sa mga kababayan natin e.”
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