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Dennis Anthony Uy insists Converge has 'genuine intention' in joining PBA amid breakaway league accusation

Converge team owner Dennis Anthony Uy denied that he is trying to form a breakaway league from the PBA.
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—Converge team owner Dennis Anthony Uy vehemently denied an accusation that his camp has talked to some teams about possibly leaving the PBA and founding a new professional basketball league.

On Tuesday night, Uy said that Converge "is not in the business of basketball and that I am not interested in participating in such histrionics."

“Converge joined the PBA with the genuine intention of bringing vigor to the league for the greater entertainment of basketball fans across the country as our fiber internet services reached nationwide presence,” added Uy.

PBA board chairman Ricky Vargas said in a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Musong Castillo at the conclusion of the board's annual planning session in Paris that the FiberXers camp tried to convince three other teams to form a new league.

Vargas asked to keep the identity of the teams that were wooed anonymous since they are not interested in the supposed proposal.

However, one group is said to have already won multiple titles, another team is always in the middle of the team standings, and the third team has been a cellar-dweller in recent years.

Converge was not represented during the overseas trip as the board recently denied the appointment of Pampanga governor Delta Pineda as the team's governor out of its stand to stay apolitical.

“I deeply regret the decision of the PBA Board to decline our appointment of Pampanga Governor Delta Pineda as our representative to the Board of Governors. We truly believe that his presence at the PBA Board will bring more energy and dynamism to the PBA and help the league re-energize its popularity among sports fans,” Uy noted.

The board eventually agreed on making Archen Cayabyab the FiberXers' representative, but he was listed as the alternate governor in hopes that the board will soften its stance on Pineda.

Cayabyab did not make the Paris trip and was seen during Converge's game against Terrafirma in the PBA on Tour at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

Meanwhile, Uy vowed that he will bat for an evenly-matched PBA field in terms of talent and capability to win a title as some believe the league is losing some ground due to allegedly expected outcomes—even citing an alleged "SMC-MVP duopoly"—a declining number of gate attendance, and some former collegiate stars and even active pro players opting to go overseas instead.

“It’s about time that we level the playing field at the PBA. Fairness is a core virtue of sportsmanship. We need to respect our viewers - the Filipino basketball fans. We should give them the sports entertainment that they deserve,” Uy concluded.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno

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