SHORTLIST FOR COMMISSIONER DOWN TO 4
From six to four.
After a two-hour special Board meeting on Thursday, PBA chairman Patrick Gregorio announced that Dr. Ernesto Jay Adalem, Vince Hizon, Rickie Santos, and Chito Narvasa are the final four names in contention to be the next league commissioner.
“We convened the Board again in our third special Board meeting just to ensure that we really go through this tedious and painstaking process,” the Talk ‘N Text governor said.
Gregorio said that the Board of Governors will convene again on April 30 to interview the four remaining candidates and let them present their plans and vision for the league.
PBA President and CEO Chito Salud will also be a part of the selection process, as he will personally talk to all four candidates and give his recommendation to the Board before the April 30 meeting.
Narvasa’s name might come out as a surprise given that his name wasn’t mentioned in the original six, but Gregorio assured that Narvasa was part of the original pool of names considered for the job.
“He was part of the shortlist, but because of some issues before, he was not included yet. Winithhold lang namin yung name nya,” he said.
Narvasa’s cause was revisited with the backing out of TV commentator Charlie Cuna due to family matters, and also his initial issues already being sorted out.
“Nandoon talaga sya sa original. To be fair to him and to the Board, nobody had a change of heart. Meron lang kaming ni-revisit na criteria and the Board feels na let us include Chito. Let us listen to his programs,” added Gregorio. “He went through the process and was interviewed by the head hunter. Di sya nanggaling out of nowhere.”
Also, Gregorio explained that the Board felt that former UFC Asia EVP and manager Mark Fischer was overqualified for the job, and Seigle’s candidacy was struck with the natural process of trimming the list.
The PBA chairman also reiterated that the Board announcing four names instead of what was earlier reported as three was also in conjunction with the recommendation from Global Executive Solutions, Inc. to exhaust all possible options to get the best fit for the job.
“Global Executive Solutions said in any process, there’s always got to be more rather than less. Lahat posible kasi we’re undergoing a transformation. When you go through the process, it’s not easy. You have to be very patient, and all options are possible,” he said. “Even if there are options cropping up, di kami nawawala sa proseso.”
Gregorio summed up the meeting as he said, “It’s got to be a perfect match. We’re looking for a perfect match. We’re still on pace for our self-imposed May 15 deadline.”
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