Pro league wants to improve officiating

By Edwin Rollon
Manila Standard
September 12, 2007

The Games and Amusements Board and the Philippine Basketball Association recently approved new rules and regulations to improve officiating in Asia’s first professional cage league.

GAB chairman Eric Buhain said that the league’s leadership, headed by newly appointed officer-in-charge Sonny Barrios and PBA chairman Tony Chua of Red Bull, is looking for a high standard, high-level competition among the league’s 10-member teams. “This will only be achieved if we improve officiating,” said Buhain, who met Barrios and Chua last Friday.

Chua said that the league is always welcome to innovations and changes in order to cope with the fast changing style of international basketball.

“Under the new guidelines, referees will undergo regular assessments on their officiating to curb all suspicions of favoring a team.

GAB and league representatives, which include technical managers, will immediately call the attention of a referee/s regarding his/their officiating, style, weaknesses and mistakes, particularly in crucial situations of the game.

“Day to day ang assessment natin. This is our way to combat negative impressions from the paying public against the game officials. Hindi maiiwasan ang magkamali, but we have to correct those mistakes immediately, para hindi maging bad precedent,” said Buhain.

“After the game, we have to summon the referee concerned to view the game tape personally, then we have to proceed with our assessment para malaman kung madalas ba niyang nagagawa ang ganoong kamalian o hindi,” said Buhain.