Solar Sports to handle PBA opening rites

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Manila Standard Today
September 18, 2007

Solar Sports has won the bid to produce the opening ceremonies for the new Philippine Basketball Association season, which opens at the Araneta Coliseum on Oct. 14, beating out Events.Work, which has done the opening as well as other major events of the pro league in recent years.

But PBA marketing head Rico Meneses said the television coverage of the opening as well as the games of the new season will be handled by ABC-5, although it is a well known fact that Solar Sports has shown interest in bidding for the broadcast rights when the ABC-5 contract ends.

Mart Miranda, president of Events.Work, whose company is widely recognized in the business community and handles major events such as the Ad Congress, pointed out that even though the TV rights for the National Basketball Association games are with Solar Sports, the no. 1 basketball league in the world had chosen his company as the events company of the NBA for the past six years.

Miranda indicated that the production budget they submitted was based on what the PBA wanted and they could have scaled it down to fit the budget of the PBA.

PBA vice chairman Joaqui Trillo said he was informed that the opening ceremony was awarded to Solar Sports, because the sports organization submitted a lower bid although no figures were disclosed.

But other board members said they were not even consulted and that chairman Tony Chua or no single individual had the right to decide.

Meneses revealed that it would be El Shaddai founder Bro. Mike Velarde, who will do the invocation while comedians Wally Bayola and Jose Manalo from "Eat Bulaga" will be the continuity talents who will "see the show through," while Kyla will head the list of entertainers which will include bands such as Bamboo, which he said "is pretty much thematic to the PBA."