THE PBA’s decision to thumb down Kiefer Ravena’s move to Japan’s B. League was not arrived at in an arbitrary manner.
According to Commissioner Willie Marcial, several legal minds were consulted first before Ravena was ordered to live up to his signed contract with NLEX.
“Limang lawyers nagsabi sa akin, dapat sundin kontrata” Marcial said. “May dalawa pang lawyer na nag-text sa akin, ang dami, ang hahaba ng litanya. Pareho ng sinabi: ‘Tama iyan, dapat sundin kontrata.’”
Even some past commissioners said the same thing, Marcial added. “Kontrata pa rin.”
Referred to, of course, is the Uniform Players Contract Ravena signed with NLEX last September, binding him to the Road Warriors until 2023.
Despite that, Ravena still recently signed up with the Shiga Lakestars, a Western Conference team in Japan’s B. League, for the 2021-22 season that ends May next year.
Although Ravena has reportedly obtained the blessings of the Road Warriors, who are owned by business tycoon and sports patron Manny V. Pangilinan along with TNT and Meralco, that didn’t sit well with the PBA.
The PBA’s decision, announced last Saturday by league officials led by chairman Ricky Vargas of TNT, is based on one simple fact: The UPC Ravena signed with NLEX binds him to his mother team.
“It’s a legal document that should not be broken,” said PBA vice-chairman Bobby Rosales, representing TerraFirma.
“We’d like to avoid the consequences if a contract is broken. So, we just hope, also, that the party concerned will realize the sanctity of a contract.”
“What we are ruling on is, can he break the contract, whether he can actually break the contract,” explained Vargas.
“’Yung point na pumirma na ba siya diyan, may kontrata ba siya diyan, is he really moving — that is a discussion that’s ongoing,” added Vargas. “But what we’re ruling on (now) is the non-breaking of the contract that he has signed (with NLEX).”
Based on Vargas’ early statement, it could be surmised that there are still ongoing talks behind the scenes between Ravena and Shiga, which now has the rights to make a legal case for itself due to Ravena’s signature on the contract.
According to a source who requested anonymity since he is part of the negotiations, Ravena’s camp is now chiefly occupied with how Ravena could hurdle the legal impediments standing in his way.
“In the meantime, nandoon siya sa San Fernando (Pampanga), nag-pa-practice with NLEX,” said the insider.
Marcial said the PBA’s decision is based on solid legal ground. “Hindi lang batas ng PBA iyon, to honor the contract,” he pointed out. “Pati batas ng Pilipinas nagsasabing kailangang sumunod ka sa kontratang pinirmahan mo.”
