MVP to the Rescue

By Al S. Mendoza

MVP coming in as the top gun in the basketball imbroglio might yet signal the dawning of a new era in the sport. The stature alone of MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan) is nearly enough to gather all the warring factions in basketball for unity and reconciliation.

This is not to diminish, of course, the luster behind the name Rudy Salud, who was the first choice to head the three-man panel tasked to draft the win-win formula to restore us to the world basketball stage. Salud had to beg off due to health reasons. I was in his house on Wednesday for shop talk and I congratulated him for his decision. 

“Health first, before anything,” I told Salud.

Salud wears a state-of-the-art pacemaker equipped with four titanium wires – each wire costing P2 million.  He had it implanted on his left chest in a 7-hour operation last February 14.

“I was ready to help, until my doctors said no,” said Salud, one of the most distinguished commissioners the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has ever had.

But he begged off with, well, a bang.

“I strongly recommended Mr. MVP,” said Salud. “And to strengthen MVP’s position, I also nominated Robert Jaworski to the panel of Joey Lina and Bernie Atienza.”

Salud said that with Jaworski, considered the living legend of Philippine basketball, in the panel, “great things could augur well for Philippine basketball.”

I believe him.  Thus, I wish MVP would convince Jaworski to help in this historic move to put an end to the basketball brouhaha. 

It’s been almost two years now since the Fiba (World Basketball Federation) suspended the Philippines from joining all Fiba-sanctioned tournaments in response to the expulsion of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) from the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).

Let’s admit it.  Basketball has been our national passion for almost half a century now. To see it languish in the doldrums – as what’s happening now – is like seeing our Bonuan bangus slowly getting extinct.

If only Joey Lina, the BAP president, had not dilly-dallied and immediately joined the Atienza-headed Pilipinas Basketball (Piba) early this year, our suspension might have already been lifted.  The Fiba’s requirement from the very start for our Fiba reinstatement was for Lina to join the Piba.

But it’s not yet late. Nothing’s late in this world, for as long as the deed to be done is for the betterment of everybody, if not mankind.

With MVP at the helm, I expect solid results. Remember, MVP it was who rescued the PLDT   from the throes of death – not to mention building the communications empire that is Smart.  Definitely, he hasn’t run out of tricks. I know he has one more life jacket dying to be tossed in – and save basketball from extinction.

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