Enough boardroom battles please

Last week, UE went to war in the boardroom and lost. Again. Everyone went nuts, up in arms, and butts quivered in outrage. But the ashes from that war turned out to be uglier than the initial salvo.

Ateneo went on a tantrum-filled binge, if I might say, in wanting to kick out Henry Atayde and another De La Salle representative in the UAAP Board. Ricky Palou wanted them out of the boardroom playground simply because they are unqualified to be such. But really, this looks like a counter-kick to the kick of the Board.

Yes, Ateneo is playing hurt here and wants to exact revenge, in my eyes, not yours. Palou said that the DLSU reps were liars in saying they are fully qualified for the job. Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t, it’s something I cannot know for sure at the moment. But I still don’t get it. Why does Ateneo have to lash out like this? Isn’t this stooping to the level of schools who want to exchange losses on the hard court with wins in the boardroom?

There is absolutely no need for this clamor, sir Palou. I don’t even know how this would make the Board better. Ateneo has been better than this. When all the Greg Slaughter brouhaha broke up prior to Season 74, no thanks to FEU who was smarting from that Finals loss, Ateneo did not retaliate in kind. It dutifully presented all the needed evidences of the Board. It is only during that last UE protest did they decide to lash out like a kid.

Kumbaga, si Kuya, nahuli ni nanay tapos si kuya, gusto i-justify yung pagkakahuli sa kanya. Anong dapat gawin? Aba’y ituro at isambulat lahat ng kamaliang hindi pinapansin ni kuya para hindi siya magmukhang masama. Ang lalabas lang, tinutularan lang niya yung ginagawa ng mga kapatid niya. It’s the natural knee-jerk reaction. However, how this move turns out to be, is a total yank. Ateneo staved off a pending forfeiture against UE because Bo Perasol was in the dugout. Truth be told, they should’ve gotten that forfeiture even if UE’s case was “weak” since they had a suspended player beside the team bench and many other occasions.

You already got the decision you want, albeit another suspension for Perasol, who should be chained to his house. Stop there. Don’t rattle the cages more. You’ve done enough. You have won not only in the board room and on the court, but may as well won a rule-review so that in future events like the one you went through wouldn’t be as gray as it can be.

I still am a diehard Blue and White. But the hapless move? Please no. No more board room antics. It just gets uglier and uglier as the years progress along. Next thing I know, I’ll be watching college basketball players with their yayas on the court as well.

Maglaro na lang tayo ng basketball. Tama na yang kaka-protesta.

Boardroom battle news and aftermaths always leave a bad taste in my mouth. Can we just win on the court unless it really is a serious matter of life and death?

File your letters of clarification, complaint and protests to @PioVGarcia