Fil-foreign applicants with incomplete documents will be dropped from list

Philippine Basketball Association commissioner Sonny Barrios is giving Fil-foreign applicants for the Annual Draft until Aug 16 to comply with eligibility requirements.

Applicants who fail to complete the requirements at the close of office hours of the new deadline will be scratch from the list of candidates for the Rookie Draft set on Aug. 29 at the Market! Market! Place in Taguig City.

This is the third time the Office of the Commissioner has move the deadline to give Fil-foreign applicants sufficient time to obtain important documents required from them.

Originally the deadline for Fil-foreign applicants was last July 14.

Included in the list of requirements that has to be submitted by Fil-foreign aspirants are certificate of recognition from the Bureau of Immigration and DOJ affirmation of citizenship from the justice department.

The two departments underwent re-organization recently so understandably securing documents from these departments will take quite sometime. 

To date 20 aspirants with dual citizenship have applied for the Draft led by 26-year old forward Josh Thomas Vanlandingham, a great grandson of Filipino Olympic medalist, the late swimming great Teofilo Yldefonso.

But so far, only three have completed the requirements. They are Vanlandingham, 6-foot-4 guard Sean Michael Dee and Hyram Bagatsing, also a 6-1 guard from De La Salle.       

“Only Fil-foreign applicants with complete documents by Aug. 16 will be eligible for the Annual Draft. Those who fail to meet the requirements will be dropped from the list,” Barrios said.

Incidentally, Aug. 16 is also the deadline for local players interested to join the PBA.

As of 12 noon Friday, the PBA has received 51 applications, 31 of them local players.

Interestingly, three members of Smart-Gilas Pilipinas have made themselves available for the Annual Draft. They are Rey Francis Guevarra, high-scoring Letran guard Rafael Joey Jazul and Rabeh Ahmed-Al Hussaini.

Other notable locals joining the Draft are former UST Tigers Khazim Mirza and Chester Taylor, Riego Meinardo Villa Gamalinda, a key player in San Beda’s string of NCAA championships, pesky Robert Labagala of University of the East.

All official candidates for the Draft will undergo a week-long rookie camp set from Aug. 20-26.(pr)

BARRIOS EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR FIL-FOREIGN APPLICANTS

Fil-foreign players who are still working on their papers that would serve as their pass for the 2010 PBA Annual Draft can heave a sigh of relief.

Commissioner Sonny Barrios yesterday extended the deadline for submission of applications from Wednesday (July 14) to Monday (July 19) to give Fil-foreign aspirants enough time complete the documents required from them to be eligible to join the Draft scheduled on August 29 at Market! Market! in Taguig City.

“The documents we require from Fil-foreign applicants need some time to be processed so we are extending the deadline for a few days so they can gather all the documents they need,” Barrios explained.  

He said there will be no more extension after July 19.

So far, 16 applicants, including three foreign-bred players and a one-time NCAA Most Valuable Player (MVP), have made themselves available for the Annual Draft.

John Wilson of Jose Rizal University and Josh Thomas Vanlandingham lead the early aspirants in the league’s first official activity for its 36th season.

Wilson is the 6-foot-3 wily Heavy Bomber guard who steered JRU to the NCAA Final Four last year, on his way to winning the season’s MVP award. He also suited up for Oracle and Fern C in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL).

Vanlandingham, meanwhile, hails from Seattle,USA and saw action for Everett CC. Upon arriving here, he played for Hapee Toothpaste in the PBL that placed runner-up to Harbour Center.

The 26-year old forward also happens to be the great grandson of Filipino Olympic medalist, the late swimming great Teofilo Yldefonso.

Aside from Vanlandingham, the other Fil-Am players in this year’s draft are Robert Francis Simpson Jr. from Eckerd College and Sean Paranada of Chabot College. Simpson had stints with Cossak/Cobra in the PBL.

Other bright prospects who already applied are San Sebastian College’s Jimbo Aquino, Philippine Christian University’s Liztian Amparado and high-scoring Letran guard Rafael Joey (RJ) Jazul Jr.

Aquino is best remembered for steering the Stags to a stunning 2-0 sweep of mighty San Beda Red Lions in last year’s NCAA championship series, where he emerged as the unanimous choice as Finals MVP.

The rest of the Draft applicants’ list includes Fred Rick Donato Malabago, Melchor Caysil Gile, Khazim Ali Mirza, Petrus Delmar Santos, Riego Meinardo Villa Ganalinda and Marvin Gallemit Graebel.

Gile was born in Tripoli, Libya while Graebel listed Frankfurt, Germany as his birthplace. The two, however, are considered “homegrown” because they are Philippine passport holders and have NSO birth certificates.

The contestability period will be from July 16 to August 15, 2010 while August 16 is the deadline for submission of application for local board aspirants.

The PBA Commissioner’s Office will announce the official list of candidates for the Draft on August 20. After that all the candidates will participate in a week-long Expanded Rookie Camp set from August 21-27. (pr)

BARRIOS DEFERS ACTION ON ARBOLEDA'S APPEAL

PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios has deferred until the end of the month any action on the appeal made by Air 21 veteran guard Wynne Arboleda to lift his suspension.

Barrios met with Arboleda at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City yesterday to talk about his case. The latter submitted to the Commissioner’s Office a letter of appeal last March 25, 2010 along with a letter of support signed by by the 10 PBA team captains.

Before a decision on the appeal can be handed down, Barrios said his Office will still have to review and study the merits of the appeal, as well as get an update on the legal cases.

The Commissioner’s Office likewise asked for documentation and validation of the community service Arboleda claimed he has participated in since he was suspended in October 2009 due to an unfortunate incident involving a fan.

The wily court general, in his appeal, said that he was part of basketball clinics for children in Metro Manila and Laguna and also assisted in Airfreight’s 2100’s medical mission in Kalibo, Aklan, blood donations to the Red Cross and other relief operations.

In fact, Arboleda is also scheduled to join other outreach activities in the future, mostly involving children.

PBA commish stands firm on decision

PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios stood firm on
his decision to sanction Talk n Text with a fine of P1.25 million for
its walkout, saying it’s not excessive contrary to the claim of the
Smart-PLDT ball club.

“In the light of history of fines, we
didn’t view it as excessive,” said Barrios in answer to one of the points
raised by Talk n Text in a letter Friday.

“With regards
officiating, we admitted there were games where the performance of the
referees was below par even in our own assessment. But it didn't give
undue disadvantage to Talk n Text alone. It was not biased and unfair to Talk n Text alone,” Barrios also said.

The league commissioner
said the PBA board has a plan to update penalty on walkout in the
aftermath of the incident that happened in Game Four of the Talk n
Text-Ginebra quarterfinals showdown.

“Half-a-million-peso fine
for a walkout is a 20-year-old amount,” said Barrios.

Meanwhile,
Barako Bull waived its rights on Alex Crisano and Adonis Sta. Maria as
it started its preparation for the Fiesta Conference Tuesday.

Barako Bull board representative Raffy Casyao said they’re back in training as they intend to continue their participation in the pro league.

“If we’re leaving, the Commissioner’s Office will be the first to know,” said Casyao, denying news report
(not in The STAR) that the ball club is being bought by Meralco.

Smart-PLDT top official Ricky Vargas also denied the news, saying it can’t be done even if Meralco wants it.

Vargas pointed out PLDT owns only 30
percent of Meralco which is a publicly-listed company.

PBA joins aid effort for ‘Ondoy’ victims

PBA joins aid effort for ‘Ondoy’ victims


The Philippine Basketball Association is falling in line with government agencies and the private sector in extending a hand to the hundreds of thousands left drenched, homeless and grieving in the aftermath of the country’s worst storm-induced deluge in 40 years.

Commissioner Sonny Barrios and the PBA board of governors, led by chairman Lito Alvarez, authorized Sunday the release of food donations for victims of tropical storm “Ondoy” which poured a huge amount of rainfall on Metro Manila and outlying Luzon provinces last Saturday and triggered massive flooding everywhere.

PBA media bureau chief Willy Marcial said the Office of the Commissioner will be purchasing bread, canned goods and other food items from cash assistance coming from the 10 member ballclubs, sorting them out and loading the bags into trucks.

Team officials, coaches and players will be driven to the stricken areas, including Marikina, Pasig, Rizal and Antipolo where scores died and which remain submerged in mud-filled waters, to distribute the bagged goodies.

“We would like to lend a helping hand to the victims of Ondoy by sharing the blessings which the PBA had received over the years from our loyal fans all over the country,” said Barrios.

“Net proceeds from the 35th season inaugural day ceremony on Oct. 11 will also go with the seed money which the ballclubs have put up as calamity fund,” he added.

The PBA, Alvarez said, is undergoing the effort with a deep sense of sorrow especially for those with loved ones who perished.

“Needless to say, this endeavor is made much more personal to us all in the PBA family because of the loss of a colleague, a friend, a brother in Tony Chua,” the Burger King representative said.

Chua, the Barako Bull governor and league chairman two years ago, was swept away by raging flood waters, along with an aide, while on his way home at the height of the heavy downpour.

Rescuers were able to pull Chua out to safety after he lost his grip while clinging to a tree, but he apparently succumbed to a heart attack a short time later due to fatigue and hypothermia.

“I grieve for those who died, and I share in the anguish of chairman Tony’s family for their irreplaceable loss,” Alvarez said.

“It is in Tony Chua’s memory that the PBA offers whatever it can to help ease the burden of the flood victims.”

The PBA organized a similar relief effort for Pampanga several years ago.

PBA statement on Celino Cruz, Cyrus Baguio trade

SPORTS DESK PLEASE

DECEMBER 27, 2008

PRESS STATEMENT

Commissioner Sonny Barrios met with PBA Vice-Chairman Angelito Alvarez and Red Bull Governor Tony Chua at the PBA Office to clarify the trade involving Red Bull's Celino Cruz and Cyrus Baguio in exchange for Air21's 2011 and 2012 1st round draft picks.

After the assurances from both Alvarez and Chua that the both teams will positively address the Commissioner's concerns and will continue to uphold the league's rules and regulations, particularly those pertaining to the Team Salary Cap, the trade was approved accordingly.