The ban Divides

The ban imposed by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) on television commentator and spin.ph writer Snow Badua has drawn both support and condemnation from local sportswriters.

Badua was declared persona non grata by the league for reporting and Twitting about an alleged illicit affair between a governor of the PBA and a model as reportedly admitted by the latter in Mo Twister’s radio show.

Spin.ph editor Dodo Catacutan described the ban as “high-handed” and one that sends a “chilling effect” on media. The Philippine Sportswriters Association and the PBA was scheduled to meet on the issue Tuesdaynight.

ConceptCentral gathered from several sports editors and writers that Badua has been a “colorful personality” involved in several fracas with fellow reporters.

“He had it coming,” said a tabloid editor, who recounted how at one instance Badua drew the ire of a team manager for texting him that they lost because one of his players sold the game.

Catacutan said that spin.ph printed many of the controversial pieces of Badua to allow PBA officials to react to stories floating on social media.

A bemused editor of a major broadsheet, on the other hand, jokingly enthused that the PBA official involved is a looker and that she too would not mind having an affair with him.

Image by spin.ph