Barrios is permanent PBA commissioner

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) made officer-in-charge Renauld "Sonny" Barrios its permanent PBA commissioner after PBA governors failed to break a deadlock in choosing the new commissioner. A statement on the PBA Web site said the PBA Board of Governors unable to break the deadlock on its choice for the job between lawyer Chito Salud and Lambert Ramos. But Barrios did not accept the job right away, saying he has his plans and he has to consult first his family, mentors and close friends. "The truth is I’ve been placed on a spot. It’s a big honor to be named commissioner but I was really prepared to move forward," said Barrios. "I’m placed in a difficult situation since I have already sacrificed the family project for the PBA. All my actions and thoughts were to move ahead after this conference. Now again I have this concern about the league," he added. He said that if he cannot make himself available, "I have to come up with an option that will be good for the league. If I can’t come up, I have to make myself available. That’s the tough part." "I just hope I can meet the Board’s expectation if I accept the position," he said, but added it is a "big honor" being considered the unifying factor of the Board deeply divided on the Salud-Ramos issue. Following a two-and-a-half-hour meeting, PBA board chairman Tony Chua said the body decided to appoint Barrios as full-time commissioner, at least up to the end of the 2007-08 season in July. Chua said they have also shelved their search for the next commissioner until after they probably have turned the PBA from an association into a corporation. The Executive Committee included vice chairman Joaqui Trillo and treasurer Robert Non. Barrios, who turns 60 on March 4, will be the league’s seventh commissioner after Leo Prieto, Mariano Yenko, Rudy Salud, Rey Marquez, the late Emilio "Jun" Bernardino, and Noli Eala. He served the league for nearly two decades from being an assistant executive director, finance officer, executive director and officer in charge. The PBA Board said they would resume their search for the next commissioner after completing the league’s shift from an association to a corporation. "It would all depend on the new structure of the league. Once we become a corporation, we may need a chief executive officer and a chief operating officer. In the end, we may tap both men (Salud and Ramos) if they’re interested in the job," said Chua. - GMANews.TV