SOTY: Under Marcial law, PBA passes toughest test in its history

PBA chief Willie Marcial is SPIN.ph's Executive of the Year for 2020
Jan 6, 2021
ILLUSTRATION: Echo Antonio

WILLIE Marcial is a certified Batang PBA.

He basically grew up together with Asia’s pioneering pro league, having been around the league in various capacities in both good times and bad.

His long association with the 46-year-old institution, dating back to as far as 1984, was what he thought was the plus factor when he became the league’s 10th commissioner three years ago.

“Dito na ako lumaki, kilala ko na lahat. Yun ang advantage ko sa iba,” he modestly said in a 2019 edition of the SPIN.ph sidelines.

Unknowingly, that connection prepared him to overcome what will come down as the most challenging period ever in the history of the league.

Under Marcial’s watch, the PBA averted calling off an entire season following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, bravely steering the league through rough waters to successfully restart and complete the staging of the Philippine Cup for the 45th season behind a costly, yet worthy bubble set-up in Clark, Pampanga.

Never in its entire history has the league cancelled a season altogether, not during the turbulent time of the mid-'80s when the country was under a severe economic crisis, nor even during the period when the Board of Governors found themselves divided into two factions over leadership issue.

For successfully steering the PBA ship through rough seas, Marcial, 59, is recognized as SPIN.ph’s Executive of the Year for 2020.

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Pulling off such an enormous task wasn’t a walk in the park for this former league statistician who rose from the ranks.

He admitted losing sleep from the time the league decided to suspend operations indefinitely just a game into Season 45 after the entire Luzon was put under a strict Enhanced Community Quarantine following the surge of the pandemic.

Marcial was calculated but determined to move forward, seeking the blessing of the board for at least a six-month timeline to see whether it would be feasible to go on with the season or not.

Although tough from the outside, the son of the late Dr. Rogelio Marcial of Batangas City confessed about the time he wondered why such crisis had to happen during his watch.

“Minsan naiisip ko bakit nataon sa akin tumama ito,” he said. “Ang hirap, hindi mo alam paano ang gagawin mo. Madugo.”

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But with the guidance of team owners, the entire board, and like-minded government officials, Marcial brought the league back to its feet, starting with the return of team practices by batches and eventually, culminating with the full resumption of the season through a bubble structure as inspired no less by the NBA.

With the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) giving the green light for the pro league to finally play out the conference, Marcial found dependable allies in Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and CEO Vince Dizon – who is also deputy chief Implementer of the National Action Plan Against COVID-19 – Clark Development Corp (CDC), and Pampanga governor Dennis Pineda, who all laid down the red carpet for the 500-plus strong PBA delegation to stay inside the Clark bubble for the next two months or so.

Marcial knew the burden had only just began.

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“Alam ko mas mahirap pag umandar na ito. Lahat ng sisi sa akin tatama,” he said.

The first few weeks were the most difficult ones. While teams had no major complaints, the commissioner could personally feel the mental stress players, coaches, and league personnel were going through.

“First month nahirapan silang mag-adjust kasi sanay silang kasama yung pamilya nila, tapos biglang hindi na. Yung mga dating kinakain mo, hindi mo na rin makain. Tapos, hindi ka rin makalabas, nandun ka lang sa loob ng bubble, eh,” said Marcial, who also served as floor director and part of the Vintage Enterprises production group before being recruited as Media Bureau head and Special Assistant to the Commissioner in 2003 by former league chief Noli Eala.

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But the biggest concern came when two persons tested positive for COVID-19 one after the other just three weeks into the season restart.

While safety of all those inside the bubble was the top priority, the league felt perplexed as to how two cases emerged in such an enclosed environment.

“Ang iniisip ko papaano nagkaroon ng positive, e ang higpit na nga natin (sa bubble),” said Marcial, still baffled to this day at how a referee and a player ended up positive.

A re-test was done and true enough, both were declared false positives.

Not wanting to undergo another stretch of mental agony, the commissioner ordered the suspension of games in the bubble and rescheduled the remainder of the elimination round.

That meant holding a grueling, four-game-a-day schedule — a first ever in PBA history — when operations finally resumed, while added protocols were incorporated to the guidelines already in place inside the bubble.

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Not once during that crucial stretch in the season did Marcial think of bursting the bubble and totally call off the rest of the conference.

“Honestly, hindi ako sumuko,” said Marcial, recalling what he told the 12 coaches in a meeting when games in the bubble were briefly suspended.

“Sinabi ko sa kanila (coaches), kung anuman ang mangyari, ipaglalaban ko ito. Hangga’t kaya natin, hindi ko susukuan ito.”

Everything went smoothly from there.

The physical strain of playing on a daily basis notwithstanding, no more glitch came along the way, paving the way for the league to conclude a long, trying season that saw Barangay Ginebra triumph over TnT Tropang Giga in the finals and win the franchise’s first all-Filipino championship in more than a decade.

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    Looking back, Marcial himself couldn’t imagine how he was able to cross the bridge.

    “Hindi ko masabi paano ako nakarating dito,” he curtly said.

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    But Marcial gave credit where it is due, personally expressing how grateful he was for everybody who pitched in to make the only league in Asia to undergo a bubble set-up a success.

    “Hindi ko maitatawid ito kung wala sila,” he said.

    Most of all, the PBA chief reserved his biggest gratitude to God Almighty.

    He felt so blessed to have survived the biggest test of his term that Marcial’s first order of business the moment the league delegation stepped out of the bubble was to visit the Immaculate Conception Parish in Angeles City nearby.

    “Dinala ko lahat ng delegates sa simbahan. Nagdasal kami at nagpasalamat,” he said.

    Amen to that, commissioner.
    ___

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    ILLUSTRATION: Echo Antonio
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