Capacio assumes new role as PBA chair

San Miguel top executive Eliezer "Ely" Capacio officially assumed yesterday the chairmanship of the PBA board of governors, succeeding Sta. Lucia’s Buddy Encarnado to complete his dramatic rise from player to coach to alternate governor to governor and finally the top honcho of the league.

Capacio, a reliable role player in the 80s, said he didn’t get the job by choice but now that he’s assumed the position, he promised to do his utmost best to best serve the paramount interests of the league.

The Palo, Leyte native, also known to his peers as "Father" having attended the seminary before taking another course at La Salle, chairs the PBA board for the 2005-2006 season. Talk n Text’s Ricky Vargas is the vice chairman and Red Bull’s Tony Chua the treasurer.

"Anything in life is a choice but when opportunity presents itself, I make the most out of it. Now, it’s time for me to repay the game that has been good to me," said Capacio, who’s been in the league since 1979 when he was tapped to play for Tanduay.

A champion player and champion coach, Capacio is looking forward to a banner season, saying his dream is to once again fill the PBA game venues to the rafters.

"We have started fixing the financial side. For this year, we have to address the marketing side to basically bring back the fans.

We have to fix the house so to speak since the groundworks have already been laid down," said Capacio.

But Capacio stressed the directions would not just come from him but the entire board.

"I’ll just be there as the head of the group. The members of the board are mature and they also have their wise thoughts. Everybody’s contribution is a value to the league. At the end of the day, it’s not my voice but the voice of everybody in the board," said Capacio.

"I don’t have the monopoly. It’s one over 10. I just preside over the meetings and represent one-tenth of the board. The rest will come from the members and we decide as one," he added.

Actually, Capacio had presided over the last board meeting with outgoing chairman Encarnado out of the country when they made the decision on their TV rights bidding. He said they got a consensus and the board didn’t need to go through the process of voting anymore.

"We laid down the cards on the table. The commissioner laid down the proposals and we decided on the value. That’s where we want the league to go," said Capacio, who considers himself a "consensus player."

Capacio’s concern is how to divide his time on his job at San Miguel and as the chairman of the PBA board.

"My fear on taking this job is the time. As it is, marami akong trabaho," said Capacio who heads the human resources department of the San Miguel food division.

Of course, there’s also his family. He has three daughters and a son who’s keen on following his basketball career.