Noli Eala named new PSC chairman

Former PBA commissioner Noli Eala is the new PSC chief.

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—The newest chief of the Philippine Sports Commission has been named.

Former PBA commissioner Noli Eala has been tasked to lead the PSC as appointed by President Bongbong Marcos on Tuesday night.

Dugout Philippines obtained a copy of Marcos' appointment letter signaling that Eala will now be taking over the spot that has been vacated for exactly two months.

Executive Director Guillermo Iroy initially took charge for the PSC for much of July until bowling legend Bong Coo was named a commissioner.

Eala was first known as a commentator for the PBA games during the late 90's and the early 2000's before replacing Jun Bernardino as the league's commissioner.

Under Eala's watch, the PBA's schedule was aligned with the FIBA-prescribed pro basketball calendar, that is, the season begins in October and ends in June, even as he shortened a PBA season into a two-conference format, giving the Basketball Association of the Philippines and later the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas ample time to call up the league's best players for national team duty.

Former Commissioner Chito Salud, now Converge's governor in the PBA board, brought back the three-conference format during the start of the 2010's.

Following his resignation as PBA commissioner, Eala founded Liga Pilipinas, a short-live regional basketball league, and later became SBP's executive director before he was replaced by Sonny Barrios, interestingly enough the same guy who succeeded Eala as PBA commissioner.

He recently returned into sportscasting, doing the play-by-play for the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 and, for a short while, the MPBL as well as hosting the weekly sports program Power and Play over One PH and Radyo Singko.

Three more PSC commissioners will be named in the near future.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno