PBA chief faces big test today

PBA commissioner Jun Bernardino braces for the biggest test of his seven-year stint as top honcho of the country’s premier cage league as the PBA Board of Governors is expected to push through with its reported plan to effect changes in the pertinent articles of the league’s charter today.

The league’s executive board convenes at 5 p.m. at the Manila Golf Club reportedly to finalize amendments to its constitution and by-laws. Afterwards, the governors will hold their regular board meeting in the same venue where they are expected to inform the commissioner whatever amendment is arrived upon by the board.

Bernardino has made known his stand that he will resign from his post if the board curtails his power to hire and fire personnel in vital positions in the PBA secretariat.

He maintained the commissioner should have the sole authority to choose people who will work with him even as a reliable source denied reports that the board will ever tackle the issue in today’s board meeting.

The same source said current board chairman Wilfred Uytengsu and incoming chair Iggy Yenko have talked to Bernardino, assuring him that he will keep that particular power.

The STAR source said the governors’ concern with the league’s finances is high on the agenda of today’s meeting.

Still, it is no secret that some members of the board have long wanted to clip the commissioner’s power in so far as appointing people who will work at the league’s front office is concerned. In fact, they had tried to bring in one man last year but was opposed by Bernardino.

Neither it’s a secret that the board is looking to make amendments in the constitution since it is an open knowledge that the board formed a committee late last year to work on this. People at the commissioner’s office, however, were surprised when a league governor floated a story a few days ago that the board is once again mulling the idea of taking away from the commissioner the right to choose his own work force.

Meanwhile, after Ginebra and Shell, Sta. Lucia also decided to try its luck on a new import, tapping Isaac Fontaine to replace Joe Temple.

Sta. Lucia coach Norman Black said he has no complaints on Temple’s work ethic but he thought they needed a scorer of an import to get a shot at the PBA Governors’ Cup crown.

Over at the Araneta Coliseum, San Miguel Beer sustained the momentum of its 86-50 rout of Shell Wednesday as it walloped Pop Cola, 95-84, at resumption of the PBA Governors Cup last night.

The Beermen simply dominated the Panthers as they gained a share of fifth place with the Purefoods Hotdogs and the Realtors with identical 3-3 slates.

The Panthers took their fourth straight loss and slid to 2-5 (win-loss).

Lamont Strothers stepped up his game and came up with a solid 31-point, 17-rebound performance for the Beermen.

"We got the job done again. But the important thing now is our next game. We’ll see there if we will have a chance at making it to the top four," said San Miguel coach Jong Uichico.