FORMER UST Growling Tigers team captain Emmerson Oreta has been named as the new commissioner of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) ahead of its eighth season, the league announced on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Oreta was appointed to the post after serving as the league’s head of operations since its establishment in 2017.
The Thomasian cager succeeded Philippine Basketball Association legend Kenneth Duremdes, who led the league for seven years.
“I am grateful for the trust given to me by our MPBL Founder and Chairman Manny Pacquiao and I am honored to serve the league in this capacity,” Oreta said in an official statement.
“I am also committed to upholding the integrity of the league while working closely with our teams and stakeholders,” he added.
Oreta played for UST from UAAP Seasons 60 to 64, serving as a former team captain.
After going undrafted in the 2005 PBA draft, Oreta made his professional debut in 2010, winning four titles with the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters.
Oreta also represented the Philippines at the 2003 SEA Games in Vietnam and the 2003 SEABA Championship in Kuala Lumpur, earning gold medals in both.
The MPBL is a men’s regional professional basketball league consisting of 30 different teams launched in 2017 by boxing legend and former senator Manny Pacquiao.
Meanwhile, the WMPBL, the league’s women’s counterpart, is governed by the Growling Tigresses head coach and champion Haydee Ong. F
