MANILA, 9 August 2007 — The successor of Noli Eala as new Philippine Basketball Commissioner still doesn’t have a face at the moment.

And that is what the league’s executive committee will draw up today.

Four members of the board, including chairman Ricky Vargas of Talk ‘N Text and incoming chair Tony Chua of Red Bull will hold a crucial meeting today to come up with a “blueprint” on who the next man in command would be.

Eala, in a tearful press conference on Tuesday, announced his resignation in the aftermath of a much-ballyhooed Supreme Court ruling that disbarred him for having “an extramarital affair with a married woman.”

It was a scandal that rocked the very foundations of the league, the team owners raising a howl in protest and acting swiftly by voting 6-3 in favor of Eala being removed Tuesday morning at a posh hotel in Mandaluyong.

“To ease the pain of the people who matter most to me, my family and all of my children, and to shield the league I truly care for, I am tendering my immediate resignation,” Eala, his voice low and nearly cracking, read his statement before a packed press conference at the league’s offices in Libis, Quezon City.

“It is a painful decision brought about by a painful personal circumstance, but I have always believed that the PBA is bigger than any one man, one team, one player or one team owner,” he continued.

An Arab News source, who refused to be identified, said that Talk ‘N Text, Red Bull, Alaska, Air21, Sta. Lucia and Coca-Cola voted to remove Eala, while San Miguel, Barangay Ginebra and Welcoat wanted him to stay.

Vargas presided over the meeting and voted for Talk ‘N Text, with Chua, casting the vote for Red Bull, Joaqui Trillo representing Alaska Alvarez voting for Air21, lawyer Ariel Magno representing Buddy Encarnado for Sta. Lucia and JB Baylon voting for Coca-Cola.

Ely Capacio was present for San Miguel, Robert Non for Barangay Ginebra and lawyer Mamerto Mondragon for Welcoat, which actually batted for Eala to stay even for just one more conference before stepping down. A handful of names, all of them former league personalities and former superstars, including Robert Jaworski and four-time MVP Ramon Fernandez, have cropped up as possible replacements.

Former deputy commissioner and grand slam champion coach Tommy Manotoc’s name has also been mentioned, like those of Chito Narvasa and former senator Freddie Webb.

But Wilfred Steven Uytengsu, the Alaska Milk owner whose team voted to oust Eala, told Arab News yesterday that he is not in favor of having someone with a basketball background be the next to man the fort.

“A background in the game itself is not the most significant aspect for me at this point,” Uytengsu said. “I think it’s time that the PBA board look for a professional executive and not necessarily with a basketball background.

“We need a professional management team with the necessary skills sets, and with objectivity and integrity to run the league as a whole and not look after the interest of one team or group of teams alone,” he added.

“I have been very vocal about this, even though I may have been the only one saying this (in the past).”

It was a sentiment echoed by Air21 representative Lito Alvarez, who said that someone with the necessary business background backed up by one with the technical smarts could do the job.

“What we need is a brilliant technical man,” Alvarez, in a separate telephone interview said. “Let the commissioner run the business affairs of the league and the technical man handle the game.

“I think it’s a viable idea.”

The meeting, set at the PLDT offices in Makati , will also have Alaska ‘s Joaqui Trillo and Alvarez present. Whatever this group comes up with will be forwarded to the board of governors for evaluation.

At this time, the league is actually looking for someone who will serve on an interim capacity, or an officer in charge, since the 33rd season’s first activity, the Draft, is scheduled in less than two weeks on Aug. 19.

“If we get someone as an OIC, he will still have a chance to become commissioner because we will be evaluating him after one conference,” Chua said.