PBA officiating will always be scrutinized when the stakes are high, as they are in the playoffs—and even more so when the championship is already on the line. That is why the PBA is stopping at nothing to make sure the officiating in the upcoming PBA Philippine Cup Finals between the TNT Tropang 5G and the San Miguel Beermen is handled properly.
And as if to show the PBA truly means business in its goal of getting the officiating right, Commissioner Willie Marcial bared at the PBA Finals press conference that he has arranged a meeting between the league office, the referees who will be working the Finals, and the coaches of San Miguel and TNT.
“Nag-meeting kami, we had a board meeting. Pinag-usapan namin na dalawang head coach or coaching staff, pupunta sa PBA tomorrow [Tuesday] para kausapin ‘yung mga referees na ia-assign namin for the Finals para makita kung anong appreciation sa tawagan, pano tawagan,” Marcial shared when asked about the officiating and the controversies that have come with it. “Para magkaroon ng konting liwanag ang mga coaches, pati mga referees. First time namin gagawin ito, pero baka gawin na namin every playoffs.”
Controversy Hounds PBA Officiating
This scheduled meeting is timely, as PBA officiating has been the center of controversy lately. In fact, in the last Philippine Cup Finals between San Miguel and TNT, controversy erupted right in Game 1 when an endgame basket by Mo Tautuaa was nullified, in turn helping TNT escape with the series-opening win.
Then, in TNT’s semifinal series against the Meralco Bolts, coach Luigi Trillo infamously asked the league after Game 1 to look into PBA officiating after the Tropa attempted 47 free throws to Meralco’s 19. Even the Tropang 5G’s series-clinching Game 5 win did not escape controversy, as the PBA suspended a referee for failing to call a foul on an important drive by CJ Cansino with under a minute left.
These are exactly the kinds of contentious moments involving PBA officiating that Marcial is hoping to avoid—and he is hopeful that the meeting he arranged, which is tantamount to a setting of expectations, can help in that regard.
“Sana maayos ang tawagan…,” he later said. “Gagawin namin lahat…”
