SBP Director Barrios invites banned Pua for Thursday conference

MANILA, Philippines – Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) Executive Director Sonny Barrios has invited former Cagayan Valley Rising Suns head coach Alvin Pua for a conference at the SBP office on Thursday, May 26, as he hopes to hear his side of the incident that led to a lifetime ban from the PBA on top of a P500,000 fine. 

In an interview with Rappler on Tuesday, Barrios said that he received the PBA’s request urging the SBP to also put a lifetime ban on Pua for all SBP-related tournaments or activities after the head coach assaulted PBA D-League referee Ben Montero during a Cagayan Valley game versus Liver Marin on Thursday, May 14. 

But before making any decision on Pua’s future, Barrios and the SBP want to hear his side of the story.

“I invited him for a conference – that’s the latest,” Barrios said through phone. “Hopefully he will accommodate my invitation. We will see. Until we see, we still don’t have an update. Only when I see him, that’s when I can share.”

Barrios says the invitation is voluntary and not mandatory, as it’s not a summon nor a subpoena. But he hopes that Pua – and not any representative of Cagayan Valley – will be the one to show up. 

“It needs to be person to person because his case is very serious,” Barrios said about the meeting. “I emphasize that I want to talk to him personally, not his representative. So it’s either I talk to him personally or I talk to nobody else.”

Pua, who has a history of other incidents which include physically confronting referees and provoking opposing players to fights that led to fines and suspensions, did not show up for a summon at the PBA Office a day after attacking Montero. In his stead, Cagayan Valley team manager Frederic Collado talked to the commissioner. 

Collado was also given a P20,000 fine by the PBA for comments he made stating it was Montero’s arrogance that led to the attack from Pua during the D-League game. After the ban and fines were imposed, the team manager said the Rising Suns plan to leave the D-League and accused the PBA of favoritism. 

When asked if Collado will also face sanctions from the SBP, Barrios said the only objective on Thursday will be to determine the future of Pua. 

“I am praying that he will accommodate my invitation and I must emphasize that it’s an invitation, not a summon. He can turn it down or he can accommodate it,” Barrios said.

“Since we are in the field of sports I like to think it would be best for him to appear and give his side of the situation.” 

– Rappler.com