Noli Eala
Encyclopedia
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
from 2003
2003 PBA season
The 2003 PBA Season was the 29th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*The NBN/IBC consortium took over the league's TV coverage after winning the TV rights over the league's longtime TV partner Vintage Television in December 2002.*Noli Eala became the league's...
to 2007
2006-07 PBA season
The 2006–07 PBA season is the 32nd season of the Philippine Basketball Association . The season started September 28 in Guam and began its formal opening on October 1 at the Araneta Coliseum, and ended on July 20...
. Before he became the commissioner of the league, he was a play-by-play commentator of Viva-Vintage Sports
Vintage Television
180px|rightVintage Television is a sports-oriented media company and became well known as the TV coverage partner of Philippine Basketball Association from 1982 to 1999...
, which broadcasts the PBA Games, from the early 1990s until 2002. He was elected as commissioner of the league in 2002 after his predecessor, Emilio "Jun" Bernardino
Jun Bernardino
Emilio "Jun" Bernardino, Jr. was the fifth commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association . He was elected as commissioner of the league in the 1993 PBA season and retired in the 2002 PBA season...
, retired from his post.
Early life
Eala studied high school at La Salle Green HillsLa Salle Green Hills
La Salle Green Hills is a private Catholic school exclusively for boys located on Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is run by the Roman Catholic Brothers of the Christian Schools- Philippine District. It was established in 1959 by the De La Salle Brothers led by the...
before studying at Ateneo de Manila University
Ateneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
, when he took a degree on Law. He also played a part as team manager for the Blue Eagles
Ateneo Blue Eagles
The Ateneo Blue Eagles is the name of the collegiate men's varsity basketball team of the Ateneo de Manila University that plays in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, the premiere sports league in the country. The collegiate women's varsity basketball team is called the Lady...
.
Play-by-play commentator
In his collegiate years, Eala used to call on the Man on the Ball radio show of Romi Kintanar. This later helped land him a job as commentator for PBA games on radio before joining Vintage Sports, later renamed as Viva-Vintage Sports on its TV panel. Eala started as an analyst from 1992 to 1994, then becoming a play-by-play commentator by 1995. Later on, Eala became one of the most popular commentators in the league with his famous lines such as Susmaryosep (a well known Filipino expression) and Nobody does it better, which drew raves and rants from fans.Eala had Andy Jao, Quinito Henson
Quinito Henson
Quinito Henson is a Filipino sports analyst and television color commentator. His newspaper column, Sporting Chance, has appeared in the Philippine Star since the 1980s...
and Tommy Manotoc as color commentators during his years. However, in 2002, he was named as the sixth commissioner of the PBA. It also marked Viva-Vintage's last season as PBA TV coveror. He, alongside Manotoc, called Viva-Vintage's last PBA coverage during Game four of the All-Filipino Finals series between Coca-Cola and Alaska
Alaska Aces (PBA)
The Alaska Aces is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association since 1986 under the ownership of the Alaska Milk Corporation and the owner of 13 PBA championships with the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference as their latest...
.
Even with his current role as commissioner, Eala had brief appearances on the mic. He was one of the commentators during the 2005 Southeast Asian Games
2005 Southeast Asian Games
The 23rd Southeast Asian Games were held in the Philippines from November 27 to December 5 in 2005. The games were participated by the eleven nations of Southeast Asia. This was the first time that the opening and closing ceremonies were held in a large open field, despite the fact that Manila...
, calling mostly Badminton and Boxing matches. He also called a June 2005 Ateneo-La Salle Reunion Game for Studio 23
Studio 23
Studio 23 is a Filipino television network owned by the ABS-CBN Corporation. The network is named for its flagship station in Metro Manila, DWAC-TV, which is carried on UHF channel 23...
. He is also became one of the commentators for the MVP Cup 2 Badminton tournament.
PBA commissioner
Eala won the commissionership job in 20022002 PBA season
-Notable occurrences:*The Tanduay Rhum Masters left the league after three seasons. Their franchise was taken over by the FedEx Express.*Republic Flour Mills sold its subsidiary COSMOS Bottlers Corporation to food company giant San Miguel Corporation. The move also absorbed the Pop Cola Panthers,...
after a series of interviews by the PBA Board of Governors. He beat former Shell head coach and BCAP chair Chito Narvasa and Pilipinas Shell executive Rey Gamboa for the post.
Disappointing first season
Eala began his stint as commissioner in 20032003 PBA season
The 2003 PBA Season was the 29th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*The NBN/IBC consortium took over the league's TV coverage after winning the TV rights over the league's longtime TV partner Vintage Television in December 2002.*Noli Eala became the league's...
, replacing Jun Bernardino
Jun Bernardino
Emilio "Jun" Bernardino, Jr. was the fifth commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association . He was elected as commissioner of the league in the 1993 PBA season and retired in the 2002 PBA season...
as commissioner. Eala's first season was frustrating as the league was involved in several controversies. Early in the season, Talk N' Text's Asi Taulava
Asi Taulava
Pauliasi M. Taulava also known as Asi Taulava is a American-born Filipino-Tongan professional basketball player playing in the Philippines for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association....
and San Miguel's Dorian Pena were found to have tested positive of taking illegal substances by the Games and Amusements Board. This suspend both players for two games by the league. After this, Eala imposed a new drug testing policy on all PBA players. It led to massive discovery of less than 10 players testing positive, which drew several criticisms from fans and media alike.
Attendance woes also affected the league during the said season. While the All-Filipino Conference had a decent number of attendance, the special Invitational tournament and the import-laiden Reinforced Conference drew disappointing numbers at the gate. One of Eala's plans to revive the league is by holding a tournament with foreign teams matching against PBA squads. This led to the Invitational tournament, in which four foreign squads were invited to join. However, Yonsei University
Yonsei University
Yonsei University is a Christian private research university, located in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1885, it is one of the oldest universities in South Korea, the top private comprehensive universities in South Korea, and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive...
, Novi Sad, Magnolia Jilin Tigers combined to win only a single game in the tournament, that drew another criticism on the league. While the Reinforced Conference had a decent success, the best-of-seven finals series between sister teams Coca Cola and San Miguel had a disappointing attendance during the full seven game series.
New format
Before the end of the 2003 season, Eala proposed a new format to the PBA Board of Governors. While Eala's plan was to have a one conference season for the league, instead of the usual three conference format, the Board decided to have two conferences in a season. The board also approved Eala's plan to move the league calendar from February to December to October to July, which took effect in 20042004-05 PBA season
The 2004-05 PBA season is the 30th season of the Philippine Basketball Association. Instead of the usual calendar year of February-December, the league changed its schedule to the current October-July format, while limiting the number of conferences from three to two...
. One of the reason's for the move is for the PBA to take an active part in the formation of the national team in future international competitions. As part of the preparation for the new format, the league held a transitional conference known as the Fiesta Conference
2004 PBA Fiesta Conference
The 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference, or known as the 2004 Gran Matador Brandy-PBA Fiesta Conference for sponsorship reasons, was tournament held by the Philippine Basketball Association and the first ever edition of the PBA Fiesta Conference....
, which was held from February 22, 2004 until July 7, which was won by crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra Kings, which drew a crowd of over 10,000 in the four games played at the Araneta Coliseum
Araneta Coliseum
The Smart Araneta Coliseum, known as The Big Dome is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines...
. The league's format during the said conference is to give the top two teams after the classification phase an outright quarterfinals berth, while the bottom eight will compete in a wildcard phase, with the winners facing off in the round robin quarterfinals format, joining two foreign teams, the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
and a US-led squad. However, the format was criticized after the two foreign teams showed up losing all of their games in the quarterfinals. Aside from this, San Miguel, who had 16-2 record, was eliminated from the tournament.
In the 2004-05 Philippine Cup, Eala changed the tournament format, to avoid top teams being eliminated early. The format would give the top two teams an outright semifinals berth, while the three to ten teams will play in a wildcard phase, with the winners advancing in the quarterfinals before facing the two teams in the semifinals.
Fil-sham controversy
Eala also made noise during the well-publicized Fil-sham (foreigners posing as Filipinos; only Filipinos can play as locals in the PBA, foreigners play as imports) controversy that has hounded the league for years. In 2004, Eala suspended six foreign cagers because of lack of documents to prove their Filipino blood. This also led to a controversial decision by Talk N' Text to suit up Asi Taulava during Game One of the Philippine Cup championship series against Ginebra. Taulava played for the Phone Pals, that resulted in a win. Two days later, however, the commissioner reversed the decision and awarded Ginebra the win.In 2005, Eala indefinitely suspend several Filipino-Americans, notably Eric Menk
Eric Menk
Eric Conrad Menk is a Filipino-American professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Barangay Ginebra Kings...
, for failing to secure additional documents to the league on time. In June 2005, after Taulava's citizenship was proven, Eala lifted the ban on the 6-9 center. Later in the year, the commissioner imposed an amnesty act that would gave Menk and Mick Pennisi full authority to return and play for their mother teams.
Reunion games
In 20032003 PBA season
The 2003 PBA Season was the 29th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable occurrences:*The NBN/IBC consortium took over the league's TV coverage after winning the TV rights over the league's longtime TV partner Vintage Television in December 2002.*Noli Eala became the league's...
, Eala announced a reunion game between Crispa
Crispa Redmanizers
The Crispa Redmanizers was a basketball team in the Manila Industrial Commercial Athletic Association , the Philippine Basketball Association and the Philippine Amateur Basketball League from the 1960s to the early 1990s.- Profile and history :...
and Toyota
Toyota Super Corollas
The Toyota Super Corollas was a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association from 1975-1983. The team had various monikers such as the Comets, the Silver Tamaraws, the Tamaraws, the Super Diesels, the Super Corollas and the Silver Coronas.Their nine PBA titles is the...
as part of the All-Star festivities at the Araneta Coliseum
Araneta Coliseum
The Smart Araneta Coliseum, known as The Big Dome is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines...
, featuring past players from both the Redmanizers and the Tamaraws. Toyota won the game 65-61, on the late-game heroics of Robert Jaworski. In 2005
2004-05 PBA season
The 2004-05 PBA season is the 30th season of the Philippine Basketball Association. Instead of the usual calendar year of February-December, the league changed its schedule to the current October-July format, while limiting the number of conferences from three to two...
, the TM Legends Game was held, in which two teams compromising of the league's 25 Greatest Players will play at each other. The team of coach Baby Dalupan won 96-92, with Allan Caidic
Allan Caidic
Alan Vito Flores Caidic is a retired professional basketball player from the Philippines and is currently an assistant coach of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the PBA...
named as MVP.
Eala, also played a part in forming the Ateneo-La Salle (Ateneo and La Salle are fierce rivals in the UAAP) Dream Games on December 8, 2005, which pit a group of PBA players and current players from both schools to face each others. The main event saw Ateneo defeating La Salle by three points.
Marketing
Under his watch, the league saw an improvement on its marketing aspects. An example of this are lowering of ticket prices that began in the 2005-06 PBA season2005-06 PBA season
-Final results:*Fiesta Conference Finals: Red Bull def. Purefoods , 4 games to 2**Finals MVP: Lordy Tugade *Third place: Air21 -Final results:*Fiesta Conference Finals: (3) Red Bull (9-7) def. (1) Purefoods (10-6), 4 games to 2**Finals MVP: Lordy Tugade (Red Bull)*Third place: Air21 -Final...
, particularly on the Upper Box levels to only five pesos.
This helped the league improved its average attendance from an estimated 4,000 in 2005 to more than 7,000 after the said season.
Promotion was also imposed in the league with the help of several advertisements, TV programs like the league's in-house show iPBA
IPBA (TV series)
iPBA was a television program that aired on Associated Broadcasting Company that serves as a sort of recap and analysis show reviewing the week's previous games in the Philippine Basketball Association, complete with top plays and special moments....
and other gimmicks.
Involvement with the national team
In late-2004, Eala and the Basketball Association of the Philippines signed a memorandum of agreement for the pro league to send their players in international tournaments such as the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup, the William Jones Cup, the FIBA Asia ChampionshipFIBA Asia Championship
The FIBA Asia Championship for Men is a tournament which takes place every two years between teams of the continent. This is the Asian qualifying tournament for the FIBA World Championship and the Olympic basketball tournament...
, and, if possible, the FIBA World Championship
FIBA World Championship
The FIBA World Championship is an international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation , the sport's global governing body...
and the Olympics
Basketball at the Summer Olympics
Basketball has been a Summer Olympics sport for men consistently since 1936. Prior to its inclusion as a medal sport, it was held as demonstration event in 1904 and 1932, both in the United States. Women's basketball was played in the Olympics only since 1976....
. Eala was given authority to choose then-Coca-Cola mentor Chot Reyes as the coach of Team Pilipinas.
However, when the basketball crisis happened in April 2005, Eala sided with the Philippine Olympic Committee, instead of the heavily criticized BAP. Eala also made the constitution for the proposed new basketball body, known as Pilipinas Basketball. As it turned out, the BAP and Pilipinas Basketball were instead ordered by the FIBA to merge into a new body called the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, of which Eala is a member.
Under his watch, the national team suffered a 9th place showing in the recent 2007 FIBA Asia Championship in Tokushima, Japan, after failing to enter the next round with losses to eventual champion Iran
Iran national basketball team
The Iran national basketball team represents Iran in international basketball competitions and is controlled by IR Iran Basketball Federation. It is one of the strongest teams in Asia, and the two time champions of the FIBA Asia Championship.-History:...
and Jordan
Jordan national basketball team
The Jordan national basketball team is the official basketball team of Jordan in international competitions. It is one of the top teams in Asia and is the defending champion of the 29th William Jones Cup....
.
In several interviews, Eala is urging for the implementation of the FIBA rules in the league in order for the players to easily adjust once they are called for the national squad.
Disbarment and resignation
On August 1, 2007, the Philippine Supreme CourtSupreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
(in a 9-page per curiam decision
Per curiam decision
In law, a per curiam decision is a ruling issued by an appellate court of multiple judges in which the decision rendered is made by the court acting collectively and anonymously...
) disbarred
Disbarment
Disbarment is the removal of a lawyer from a bar association or the practice of law, thus revoking his or her law license or admission to practice law...
Eala because of his "grossly immoral conduct" that stemmed from an extramarital affair. Eala violated Canons 1 and 7 of Rule 1.01 of the Code of Professional Responsibility because of his affair with a married woman named Irene Moje prior to the judicial declaration that her marriage was null and void. On September 20, 2007, the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
dismissed with finality
Finality (law)
Finality, in law, is the concept that certain disputes must achieve a resolution from which no further appeal may be taken, and from which no collateral proceedings may be permitted to disturb that resolution...
Eala's motion
Motion (legal)
In law, a motion is a procedural device to bring a limited, contested issue before a court for decision. A motion may be thought of as a request to the judge to make a decision about the case. Motions may be made at any point in administrative, criminal or civil proceedings, although that right is...
for reconsideration, ruling that, in engaging in an affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
, Eala ridiculed marriage as mere "scrap of paper", and violated his lawyer's oath
Oath
An oath is either a statement of fact or a promise calling upon something or someone that the oath maker considers sacred, usually God, as a witness to the binding nature of the promise or the truth of the statement of fact. To swear is to take an oath, to make a solemn vow...
to uphold the Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
and the laws.
This resulted in the PBA board, during an emergency meeting on August 7, 2007, voting 5-3 to sack Eala as commissioner. On the same day, Eala announced his resignation from his post due to the circumstances of his disbarment case.
The league appointed former PBA executive director Sonny Barrios as officer-in-charge. On January 17, 2008, executive director Renauld Sonny Barios was named new PBA commissioner by the board (after Chito Salud and Lambert Santos did not get enough votes) until 2009 (after Noli Eala resigned in August, 2007).
Criticisms
Eala has been criticized by numerous fans for some of the decisions he made during his three-year run as commissioner. Eala was questioned in 2003 and 2004 for inviting ragtag foreign teams in a PBA sanctioned event. Eala was also questioned for the fil-sham controversy while some also questioned his role in the POC-BAP crisis. During his days as a commentator, some questioned his way of calling the games on television.However, some praised the commissioner for his role in the national teams initiative, the new league format, as well as the two reunion games held in 2003 and 2005. His decision to have the league hold its annual All-Star Games in the province, pitting the North and South All-Stars, was well received.
Eala was also in hot water after the Eugene Tejada incident, when the latter suffered a life threatening incident against Red Bull on May 14, 2006. In a column for the Philippine Daily Inquirer
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...
, Beth Celis wrote a piece in which claims that Eala was not in the venue and was "probably tired". http://beta.inq7.net/sports/index.php?index=2&story_id=76013&col=135 After the piece was wrote, Eala reportedly complained to Celis for her somewhat poor judgment on the commissioner and also aired his side about his absence with Celis and in a separate article written by Quinito Henson. This was confirmed by Celis a later column, which accused Eala of having a "bad side". http://news.inq7.net/sports/index.php?index=2&story_id=76371&col=135 Eala also did not sanction Red Bull's Mick Pennisi and Enrico Villanueva after Pennisi landed on Tejada, both were accused of planning to injure Tejada, since "there was no malice on the incident."
Eala was also questioned for his proposed "3-point dunk" for the 2006-07 season
2006-07 PBA season
The 2006–07 PBA season is the 32nd season of the Philippine Basketball Association . The season started September 28 in Guam and began its formal opening on October 1 at the Araneta Coliseum, and ended on July 20...
. This proposal drew criticism from most PBA coaches and basketball purists, who believe that the league should focus on rules applicable to the international game.
The rule was in fact used during the season in the April 2007 PBA All-Star Game in Baguio City.
Third Force Promotions
On January 21, 2008, New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
promoter
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
Gary Shaw
Gary Shaw
Gary Shaw was an English football striker who played for Aston Villa in the early 1980s. His goals helped Aston Villa win the English First Division championship in 1980–81 and the European Cup the following year - the only Birmingham-born player in the team. In 1981 he was voted PFA Young Player...
confirmed (in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
) IBF flyweight champion Nonito Donaire
Nonito Donaire
Nonito Donaire, Jr. is a Filipino-American professional boxer, who is widely known as "The Filipino Flash." He is a three-division world champion, having won five titles across three different boxing weight classes. He is a known switch-hitter with the ability to fight either southpaw or orthodox...
's title defense versus Hussein Hussein in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
on April 4. Third Force Promotions per president Noli Eala will stage the triple world championship card. The 2 other world title fights include - WBO minimumweight champion Donnie Nietes
Donnie Nietes
Donnie Nietes is a Filipino professional boxer and the WBO Light Flyweight World Champion. He is also a former WBO Minimumweight World Champion. His cousin, Gerson Nietes, is also a boxer....
against No. 1 contender Daniel Reyes
Daniel Reyes (boxer)
Daniel Antonio Reyes Torres is a professional boxer from Colombia.-Amateur career:Reyes represented Colombia as a Flyweight at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games...
of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and IBF lightflyweight titlist Ulises Solís
Ulises Solis
José Ulises Solís Perez is a Mexican professional boxer and is the current IBF light Flyweight champion. He recently got into a street fight with current champ Saul Alvarez and had his jaw broken. He plans on pressing charges against Alvarez...
of Mexico against OPBF Juanito Rubillar.
On May 31, 2008, Eala launched Liga Pilipinas
Liga Pilipinas
Liga Pilipinas is a regional basketball league in the Philippines. It is sanctioned by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the country's national basketball federation, and owned by Pinoy Basketbol, Inc....
, a new regional basketball league.
Currently, he is the Executive Director of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.
Trivia
- Before becoming the commissioner of the PBA, Eala became the news anchor of IBC'sIntercontinental Broadcasting CorporationIntercontinental Broadcasting Corporation is a Philippine VHF television network of the Government Communications Group headed by the Press Secretary. Its studios are located at Broadcast City, Old Balara, Capitol Hills, Diliman, Quezon City and its transmitter is located at the Coca Cola plant,...
late-night newscast, IBC News TonightIBC News TonightIBC News Tonight is a weeknight 30-minute news program aired on Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation .-Background:Launched in 2002, the news program was first anchored by Anthony Pangilinan. He was later replaced by Atty. Noli Eala. However, Eala eventually left the newscast to be appointed as...
from 2001 to 2002. - Noli Eala is currently head of sports operations at San Miguel CorporationSan Miguel CorporationEstablished in 1890 as a brewery, San Miguel Corporation is Southeast Asia's largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 17,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific....
.