No PBA alarm despite ref sanctions

MANILA, Philippines - PBA commissioner Chito Salud said the other day there’s no panic in the ranks even as three referees were suspended for sub-par performance in the first three weeks of the Commissioner’s Cup and urged coaches to focus on improving their teams instead of blaming lapses in officiating, whether imagined or not.

“Our focus in evaluating referees is two-fold,” said Salud. “We look at mechanics and assess if they’re not veering away from our philosophy of officiating.” Since Salud became the commissioner in 2010, he has imposed a philosophy where tough play and the flow of the game are not compromised by calls on flimsy or incidental contact. The orientation allows for physicality, not dirty play that could lead to injuries or harm to players, as referees blow their whistles only on clear and hard contact. Regarding mechanics, supervisor of officials Ramil Cruz keeps a close look at where the three referees are positioned as it is a factor in viewing play from a vantage angle.

“We’ve always done routine suspensions,” continued Salud. “It’s not something drastic. What we’ve observed is lapses haven’t been game-changing, that teams still had the chance to rectify the situation. As a matter of course, suspensions aren’t announced in media because we don’t want coaches to blame officiating for what happens in a game.”

Salud said attendance in the Commissioner’s Cup so far has been encouraging. “We’re keeping in step with our average of over 7,000 in the Philippine Cup,” he said. Last season, average attendance was about 6,600. In the recent Philippine Cup, the four-game Finals drew an average of 14,682 despite Talk ‘N’ Text’s sweep of Rain Or Shine.

“I think we’re coming close to the parity that we want for the league as an objective,” said Salud. “Look at the standings. Teams that were previously below the line are now on top. Every game is unpredictable because every team is competitive.” At the top of the ladder is unbeaten Alaska which finished ninth in the Philippine and Governors Cups and fifth in the Commissioner’s Cup last season. Alaska posted an 11-24 record to place ninth overall. So far this campaign, Alaska has zoomed to a 17-10 mark.

Meted out suspensions were referees Emmanuel Tankion (10 game days), Edward Aquino (five) and Allan Balatucan (seven). Tankion was cited for the Alaska-Rain Or Shine game last Feb. 9, Aquino for the Alaska-Barako Bull game last Feb. 17 and Balatucan for the Petron-Meralco game last Feb. 20.

“We inform the Board of Governors whenever there are suspensions,” said special assistant to the Commissioner and media affairs bureau chief Willy Marcial. “We don’t make announcements in media. It hurts a referee particularly in the pocket when he’s suspended because a 10-day suspension without pay means cutting his salary in half or losing at least P20,000. But the positive thing is referees learn from the suspension, they understand why and won’t make the same mistakes again, hopefully. They come back from the suspensions determined to improve.”

The PBA maintains a 16-man referees pool. In the recent Philippine Cup, Salud picked only six outstanding referees to work the Finals. One of them was rookie Rommel Gruta, recruited from the PBA D-League. Gruta, 34, had worked in the PBL and UAAP.

Marcial pointed out that another source of suspension is failure to make the weight and complete the minimum 86 laps. “Every Monday, all the referees weigh in at the PBA office,” said Marcial. “Each referee has a weight limit determined by his height. If a referee goes over the limit, he is suspended. Also, every Saturday, at the Club 650 gym (in Libis), each referee must run 86 laps on the court. Anyone who can’t do it will be sidelined.”

Aquino was suspended for his showing in the Alaska-Barako Bull game after which he ended up at Medical City. The confinement had nothing to do with his performance. With about two minutes left, Alaska rookie Calvin Abueva accidentally bowled over Aquino. The referee finished the game on his feet but later in the dressing room, he couldn’t walk because of severe pain in his back. In the hospital, Abueva visited Aquino with Alaska team manager Dickie Bachmann and Alaska sports development manager C. K. Kanapi. Abueva apologized to Aquino for the bump and brought flowers.

“We were worried about Aquino because he was once down with a slipped disc,” said Marcial. “Luckily, there was no problem with the spine, no fracture, only a swelling in his back. But he was in terrible pain and had to take morphine. He was in the hospital for a few days and now, wants to go back after serving his suspension. He told me he can do 86 laps and he’s ready to run.”