6 recruits beef up pro loop refs' pool
By Joaquin Henson
Updated November 05, 2009 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - In a continuing effort to upgrade officiating standards, the PBA recently hired six new referees from the UAAP and PBL ranks to reinforce its 20-man pool headed by top-raters Luisito Cruz, Throngy Aldaba, Arthur Herrera, Jess Ferrer and Manolito Quilinguen.
The rookies are Ronald Mauricio, Rodito Marabe, Benny Barbacena, Ronald Ibay, Sherwin Pineda and Jimmy Mariano (no relation to the former national player).
Technical consultant Romy Guevara, who has been involved in basketball for over 40 years, said all the 20 PBA referees are subjected to rigid physical and mental training to make sure they’re on the ball when the buzzer sounds.
“Physically, I think our referees are in excellent shape,” said Guevara who supervised officiating in the PBL, UAAP, NCAA and for six years in Qatar. “They keep pace with the players and are on top of every fastbreak situation. Now that the season is ongoing, they report for early morning jogs Mondays and Tuesdays. We review each game on tape to find out where there is still room for improvement. Performance evaluation is something we do after every game.”
The referees are given tips on anger management by sports psychologist Dr. Nyra Orbeta and undergo eye exercises to sharpen their vision with ophthalmologist Dr. Charlie Ho.
PBA special assistant to the commissioner Willie Marcial said upgrading officiating standards is a key priority and reported close coordination with the PBL, through commissioner Chino Trinidad, in identifying future prospects.
Marcial said the PBA retired Mario Montiel and Joey Calungcaguin in the offseason. Also taken out of the referees’ roster were Roberto Ting Jr. and Vincent Ledda. Two years ago, Marcial said Gharchee Ferrer, Glenn Cornelio and Elvero Banilla Espinosa were removed from the rolls to make room for fresh recruits.
“We want to correct the misimpression that the referees were fired,” said Marcial. “They were all given gratuity pay which we wouldn’t have done if they were fired. Joey, for instance, retired because of a recurring knee problem. Some of those who left had no PBL or UAAP experience. Now, we’re trying to rebuild our pool by recruiting from the PBL and UAAP.”
Guevara, 72, said while referees are only human and therefore commit mistakes, he guarantees that their errors are not deliberate.
“You can be sure that our referees are honest,” said Guevara who is in his third year as technical consultant working with supervisor of officials Ramil Cruz. “Of course, they make mistakes. They’re only human. In the Smart Gilas-Burger King game where there were four flagrant fouls, at least one more flagrant should’ve been called.”
Guevara, who has worked 14 years overall with the PBA, said so far this season, officiating has been fair and consistent on the whole.
“My goal is for every referee to become a crew chief,” said Guevara. “If all our referees are capable of working as a crew chief, imagine how smooth our rotation will be. Our rules and mechanics are not hard to learn and master. All it takes is hard work, dedication, mental alertness and good physical conditioning.”
Guevara said the PBA’s rule changes this season aren’t difficult to apply. The major changes concern flopping and setting picks. A defensive player guilty of flopping is given a warning on the first infraction and a technical foul on the succeeding violations. Regarding picks, a player who sets a screen may move his body into a new but equal position sideways provided his shoulders are directly squared with his foot. The feet must be established for position and the defensive player must not have passed the screener. Other rule changes include the reversions to the rectangular shaded lane and the 22-foot three-point arc.
“Players are adjusting well,” said Guevara. “We’re just a few weeks into the season and so far, there are no major problems.”
At the top of the referees roster are Class A officials Cruz and Aldaba. Cruz, 47, took up chemistry at FEU and officiated in the PBL starting 1994 until he joined the PBA. He was previously employed in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Aldaba, 37, graduated from the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos and worked two seasons in the MBA before moving to the PBA.
Also in the elite level are Herrera, Ferrer and Quilinguen. Herrera, 45, earned a commerce degree at the University of Pangasinan and worked four PBL seasons then joined the PBA in 2001. Ferrer, 42, attended NU and UP while Quilinguen, 44, finished nautical engineering
at Feati.
