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Barrios to decide on Air21 issue

01/13/2009

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioners Office will to decide Air21’s request to transfer its franchise name to Burger King next conference after the league’s board tasked commissioner Sonny Barrios to rule on the matter.

Barrios yesterday said the PBA board of governors instructed him to study carefully the documents presented by the Lina-owned company so he could decide on its merits.

He said Air21 team manager Lito Alvarez vowed to submit all pertinent documents so they could formally have Burger King as their franchise name starting the Fiesta Cup.

“Mr. Alvarez told me that they will be avail of the avenue para matuloy ang transfer ng franchise name to Burger King starting next conference,” Barrios said.

The PBA chief was referring to a league rule that when a team wishes to change its franchise name, the brand it will be using should be under its holding or parent company.

Barrios said that based on a January 2002 letter of Air21 to the league, the team is registered under the company name of Air21000 and Burger King is not part of that holding company.

Alvarez, however, explained that Burger King is part of the Lina Heim Corporate Services Inc. which is also owned by Bert Lina.

“Ito ngayon ang pag-aaralan ng commissioner’s office whether they have 33 ½ percent of ownership na kasama ang Burger King,” Barrios said.

“Baka lumabas kasi ang ibang personalities dun at magulat na lang ang ibang members ng PBA board.”

Aside from Lina, there are other personalities who have minority shares in Burger King, including Smart chairman Manny Pangilinan, Ricky Vargas, Wilson Young and Mikee Romero.

But if the PBA finds Burger King is indeed part of one holding company, it will not be asked to pay the required P6 million transfer fee.

“Aside from not paying the transfer fee, this would also give Air21 some flexibility,” Barrios said, hoping to come up with a result within the week since PBA board chairman Joaqui Trillo had already set another special meeting to tackle the matter.