Bono, Aces complete 3-year deal

By Nelson Beltran
The Philippine Star
Thursday, September 13, 2007

Alaska Milk sealed a three-year deal with No. 6 pick Ken Bono who is to receive P150,000 a month this coming season and P200,000 next year as PBA teams continued to boost their rosters with barely a month before the start of its 33rd season.

However, the Aces’ management and the former UAAP star have yet to agree on the terms in the final year of the pact.

“We’re happy with what we’ve got. It’s going to be no less than P7 million in three years although we’ve yet to finalize the package for the third year. We’ve come up with a certain amount. The team manager (Joaqui Trillo) is to discuss it with the team owner (Wilfred Uytengsu),” said Edgar Tan, who represents Bono.

Meanwhile, Sta. Lucia Realty continued to overhaul its lineup after its acquisition of Joseph Yeo, signing up free agents Christian Coronel and Dennis Daa to separate two-year contracts.

Coronel and Daa helped the Realtors score a 106-88 rout of the Coca-Cola Tigers in the PBA pre-season tourney at The Arena in San Juan Tuesday night.

The Sta. Lucia management and coaching staff recruited the two free agents after seeing them perform well with the Harbour Centre-RP team in the recent Brunei Cup.

First to be signed was Coronel, a 5-foot-10 guard out of San Sebastian. Sta. Lucia found a berth for Daa, a Letran mainstay when it dealt Mark Isip and Cesar Catli to Coke for Yeo.

“Both are thinking players. We’re impressed in their showing in the Brunei Cup,” said Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez.

Derrick Hubalde, Alvin Pua and Erwin Sta. Maria are three other free agents hoping to make it to the Sta. Lucia lineup. They’re listed in Sta. Lucia’s 18-man lineup in the pre-season tourney.

Fernandez is resting veterans Marlou Aquino and Dennis Espino in the pre-season to give them time to fully recover from their injuries. Aquino is nursing a shoulder injury while Espino is strengthening his knees.