PBA: 'We just want to make our sports program accountable to the core values of San Miguel' - Eala

San Miguel Corporation sports director Noli Eala confirmed in a TV interview on Tuesday comments made in a press statement released Monday evening, saying, "Maybe it's time for us [SMC] to rethink our objectives for being in the PBA."

Eala was referring to San Miguel Corporation's statement that they would "re-evaluate the company's continuing participation in the PBA" in the light of sanctions to Petron Blaze Boosters import Renaldo Balkman, who had been banned from the league and fined, after getting into a scuffle with his own teammates last Friday. The reason for this "re-evaluation" was said to be the harm the incident had done to the company's reputation. The former PBA commissioner however cautioned not to "overread the statement," saying, "we want to make our sports program accountable to the core values of San Miguel." He also added that "re-evaluation is always a word that can be misinterpreted. It just covers the entire gamut of options available to San Miguel to handles its franchises." Aside from Petron Blaze, San Miguel also bankrolls the San Mig Coffee Mixers and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. When pressed as to what the corporation had in store for its popular clubs, Eala said that he was "not at liberty" to say what was going on, but tried to assure fans by pointing out, "We [SMC] have a commitment to the PBA, to the fans, which is why we made that statement." Eala also reiterated that they at San Miguel "respect the decision [to ban Balkman]" and that they "just have to move on." Earlier in the day, PBA commissioner Chito Salud responded to the company's statement by saying, "Petron/SMC franchise's reputation is solid and unshakeable. I respectfully disagree with anyone who will say otherwise, much more on the basis of an import's individual and singular act." Salud also added that the two parties "have been together for a long, long time and that's valuable in every respect." - AMD, GMA News