A Necessary Evil

Fan or not, you have to feel for these two
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

At present, there are over twenty names on the Barako Bull Energy roster including their late draft picks Jeric Fortuna, Carlo Lastimosa, Darwin Cordero, Jett Vidal and Mike Silungan not to mention new recruits through draft day trades Denok Miranda, Willie Miller, Magi Sison and Mark Isip.

We’ve considered all angles and arguments for and against this much-maligned franchise which, if it hasn’t been before, has been branded as a clear-as-egg-white “San Miguel Corporation farm team.” We’ve already touched on how this team was a darkhorse contender during its early years in the PBA, now there’s just no denying how it’s only in the league for the best interests not of its players or fans but for its benefactors.


You see, this team (the original franchise led by the late George Chua) was flailing maybe two to three years ago with the original Red Bull conglomerate pulling out of the Philippines. When that business decided to pull out, its PBA-sponsored team had no other option but to trade away its many assets at the time for some financial aid. Why the team opted not to just fold like other franchises who were suffering (Santa Lucia) is beyond us. Perhaps they wanted to stay in the PBA to compete. Perhaps they saw a sound business opportunity in terms of product exposure AND player-for-player/money transactions. Hell, we even remember reading somewhere that they were proposing a “co-sponsorship” of the team (think Barako Bull printed in front, with a huge patch of Burger King maybe at the back). Fortunately or unfortunately, they were able to find a new “patron” in Bert Lina of the Air21 Express (who was, at the time, already involved in “selling” players to the highest bidder).

For whatever it’s worth, Barako Bull put on a “PBA brand” even before the actual energy beverage came out into the mainstream market. How the television exposure is helping them overall in bumping off the energy drink business giants, that’s their problem.

Right now, looking at their odd-ball roster, here’s a 12-man rotation that we feel can work for coach Bong Ramos:

PG Denok Miranda/ Jonas Villanueva/ Jeric Fortuna
SG Ronjay Buenafe/ Willie Miller
SF JC Intal/ Keith Jensen
PF Mark Isip/ Danny Seigle/ Rico Maierhofer
C Dorian Pena/ Mick Penissi/

Okay. So that line-up doesn’t look all that bad now does it? Of the rookies, we were only able to bring one in little man Fortuna but he’ll have to out-everything Rob Labagala (who is also in the Barako off-season line-up alongside: Celino Cruz, Wesley GOnzales, Dave Marcelo, Gilbert Bulawan, Hans Thiele, Chris Pacana, Elmer Espiritu, Magi Sison and Willy Wilson).

Why draft so many young bloods if they already have so many guys on the roster you ask?

Because if unsigned, Barako will still own the rights to the players so in the end, it’s still all about the PhPs.

So is Barako the devil? Are they in the league to simply ensure that San Miguel Corporation, with their powerhouse three of Petron Blaze, San Mig Coffee and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, will always have a shot at first round picks year after year?

Depends on how you look at it. Unfair? Because they get Barako’s top talent who ultimately becomes a star elsewhere? Other than Allein Maliksi, who else is there? Most of the talent that Barako vends to its “big brother/s” usually toil away on the bench (Dylan Ababou and Josh Urbiztondo are the more recent ones).

So yeah, we wouldn’t call it entirely unfair.

More, disgusting. Degrading. Despicable even.

But it is very much entertaining, keeping fans guessing and all, wouldn’t you agree?