PBA scores Jolas on pay cap

PBA commissioner Emilio "Jun" Bernardino wants Alaska player Jojo Lastimosa to come forward and prove his accusation PBA ballclubs are resorting to under-the-table deals with players to skirt the league’s salary cap rule.

Lastimosa reportedly made the charges as he suggested how PBA teams could cut costs without affecting the old salary cap scheme. He was quoted as saying: "What they need is transparency when it comes to the salary cap law. Alam naman natin na marami pa ring under-the-table deals dyan – cases where a player’s reported salary is way lower than what he is really getting."

Bernardino is asking Lastimosa to name names as he promised to do the necessary actions to penalize erring parties.

He mentioned the case of Jayvee Gayoso with Tanduay Rhum two years ago. The player admitted having under-the-table deal with Tanduay, and the ball club lost its share from the league’s TV income that year after being proven guilty of salary cap rule violation.

Meanwhile, PBA executive director Sonny Barrios said the PBA players are welcome anytime to check the book of accounts involving the players trust fund as the players have said they wanted to know how the funds were used.

"Kung may natatakot na nawala na ito, kung nawala man nga dapat matagal na rin akong wala dito," said Bernardino.

The trust fund was established during the time of commissioner Leo Prieto, who provided a seed fund of P100,000 for the educational benefits of PBA players’ children.

Fines incurred by players and coaches and proceeds of the annual PBA All-Star Game go to the trust fund.

It is controlled by a board of trustees composed of the league board chair, the secretary, the commissioner and two players, who incidentally are Lastimosa and Alvin Patrimonio.

In another development, Barangay Ginebra re-hired Elmer Lago after the Fil-Am guard became a free agent, being put on the reserve list by Talk N Text on the entry of Bong Alvarez and Hercules Tangkay.

At the resumption of games at the Philsports Arena tonight, Coca-Cola seeks to solidify its hold of second place, going for a fourth win in five outings versus FedEx at 5:30 p.m. Purefoods and Alaska clash in the 7:30 p.m. mainer.

The Tigers, who have beaten the Shell Turbochargers, the Purefoods Hotdogs and the Barangay Ginebra Kings all by more than 20 points in their last three games, are fancied to make it four in a row against the struggling Express.

FedEx is in the tailend of the chart without a win in four starts – the last it lost to Alaska Milk on an ill-advised foul by Wynne Arboleda in the last 1.2 seconds of play.

FedEx team manager Lito Alvarez had said they would protest the game as he believed Alaska coach Tim Cone committed a technical violation during the commotion after the foul given by Arboleda on Kenneth Duremdes. The PBA has yet to receive the letter of protest.