MANILA – The House of Representatives’ Committee on Legislative Franchises’ decision to reject ABS-CBN Corp. another 25-year franchise also leaves an impact on the country’s sports.
The denial leaves Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) along with collegiate leagues University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) without a TV coveror.
UAAP executive director Rebo Saguisag said over the weekend they will consider moving to other networks despite feeling sympathetic for the network’s situation.
The league’s five-year deal with ABS-CBN ended last May.
“We’ll consider other parties if necessary. We’ll choose what’s for the best interest of the UAAP community,” Saguisag said. “We commiserate with our long-time partner, but this is ultimately a business decision the board will have to make.”
ABS-CBN has served as the UAAP’s coveror since 2000. The collegiate league’s basketball and volleyball games have been preeminently carried by ABS-CBN Sports + Action. Before that, the UAAP games were aired on RPN-9 from 1989 to 1994 and on PTV-4 from 1995 to 1999.
The NCAA, for its part, is taking a wait-and-see approach with regards to its future with ABS-CBN. The league is scheduled to meet the top officials of the network to discuss how to move forward.
“The first step muna is to talk with ABS-CBN. Only then will we be able to see where we’ll go,” NCAA Management Committee chair Fr. Vic Calvo of Letran University said in an interview with Spin.ph.
MPBL commissioner Kenneth Duremdes, on the other hand, is set to meet with the league’s founder and chief executive officer Sen. Manny Pacquiao to discuss the next step.
“Paguusapan muna namin with our CEO and founder Sen. Manny Pacquiao kung ano ang next plan namin regarding sa TV,” Duremdes said. “Nag-expired naman nung March ‘yung partnership namin with them (ABS-CBN).”/PN
