Perhaps, Joseller "Yeng" Guiao was the best choice to take over the post from Favis in 1997. He came in full circle - from being a former PABL player, to becoming a champion PBL coach and now, as the man at the heim. It was under his term with Chowking's Robert Kuan as chairman that the PBL underwent a rebuilding process.

The decision to move the games from the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex to Makati Coliseum gave the PBL a more permanent venue where a loyal set of regular spectators watched the games every play day.

Guiao also stabilized the balance of teams - bringing out only the best promising talents in the league. His charisma lured better support from the media that newspaper spaces almost equaled that of the marquee PBA.

Unlike during Favis' term, PBL games got regular television coverage through Vintage Enterprises and Silverstar Communications Inc.

It was also during Guiao's term that officiating problems were sizeably minimized, if not totally eliminated by coming up with a reputable pool of refereees and rule changes under Technical Committee Chairman Roehl Nadurata.

But the biggest contribution Guiao accomplished was his Memorandum of Agreements with the PBA and the UAAP. With the PBA, he negotiated for a developmental fee the pro league will pay for every PBL player drafted.

With the UAAP, he managed to arrange that the elibility requirement from three to two years - allowing potential superstars to enjoy their best amateur years in the PBL.

Collegiate stars like Don Allado, Danny Ildefonso, Enrico Villanueva, Jojo Manalo, Ren-Ren Ritualo, Cyrus Baguio, Nino Gelig and Yancy de Ocampo brought in new zest, a new outlook on the PBL that Guiao collectively called them the "Future of Philippine Basketball".

The emergence of Eric Menk and Asi Taulava even revolutionized the face of Philippine Basketball that it enticed the PBA to start recruiting talented Fil-Ams to attract more crowd and intensify hardcourt action.

Thus, Guiao came up with the idea of changing the logo and the motto to "PBL: The Future is Now."

To back that up, he thought of organizing a Women's League which, suprisingly, gained its own share of audience and the PBL Juniors, many products of which are now top players in the UAAP and the NCAA like UE Warrior James Yap and Paul Artadi, and San Beda's Arjun Cordero. Not only that, Guiao also poured support to the promising Philippine Wheelchair Basketball League.

Aside from players, PBL teams also gained their respective following.

Tanduay Rhum Masters, formerly Stag Pilsen, went on as the greatest PBL team ever as coach Alfrancis Chua and his wards left the league with seven titles in 10 conferences aside from another record feat of 19 straight wins. New teams like Blu Detergent, Montana Pawnshop, Ana Freezers and the comeback of Hapee Toothpaste added colors to the league.

Even with the supremacy of Tanduay, the league enjoyed competitive balance that no team is ever sure of making it to the finals. Rivalries cropped up and the semifinal phase drew crowds rooting for their teams that every playdate from thereon brought about a festive atmosphere at the Makati Coliseum.

Blessings were bountiful then. From almost turning into rivals during Favis' term, PBA forged a stronger pact with the PBL following the emergence of MBA in 1998. And even with the lucrative offers from the other professional league, marquee PBL players stayed on believing that the training and exposure they get in the PBL was a wiser investment than a raw jump for a short-term hunt of big money.

Indeed, Guiao's contribution turned the league for the better. However, some good things never last. Guiao decided to move on. And despite a bigger offer from the PBL board to stay, he pushed through with the job his heart yearns for so long - coaching.

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The old saying must be true. A tree blossoming with lots of fruits always get stoned. Other cage bodies envy the success of PBL under Yeng Guiao, how it survived the several storms and how it stood strong on its own. Like crabs pulling the one on top down, they thought of ways of bringing a kingdom down after its ruler abdicates.

They focused on bringing down the successor, Chino Trinidad-who they thought would be so you and so vulnerable. But years of experience as Vintage Executive Producer equipped Trinidad with management skills and innovative concepts that toughened him up to deal with any challenge. Yes, they never thought that Trinidad was born to be a winner.

But Chino, together with PBL chairman Dioceldo Sy, stood strong and faced the issue head on. The two worked on research and defense premises along with Corporate Secretary Atty. Noli Eala to establish and prove PBL's amateur nature.

The issue only backfired on the rivals as it only drew more support for the PBL. Top basketball personalities like multi-titled UAAP coach Franz Pumaren and basketball guru Joe Lipa sided with the PBL on the issue, saying that the league has established its role and niche in Philippine basketball and declaring it professional would be detrimental to the development of basketball in the country. Even players banded themselves together and signed a manifesto of support with a plea not to bar their rights to enhance their skills and mould their basketball careers in the PBL. Convinced with the supplication of the PBL and its supporters, Malacanang reversed the decision of the Games and Amusement Boards and declared PBL as amateur.

Then he worked on improving the image of the league. He unveiled a new logo bearing the motto "PBL..Where the Future Begins."

His broadcast experience also proved vital in improving the quality of PBL's primetime telecast. Together with Chairman Sy's funding, Trinidad put up an in-house PBL production, invested on hight-tech equipment and gathered a bunch of production brains for a more picturesque coverage and a better premium package for its advertisers to compliment the quality of games.

PBL's partnership with the National Broadcasting Network also proved a major step in promoting the league as a good avenue for the marketing of the advertisers' product with the government's widest reach from far North to the Southern tip of Mindanao.

It was Trinidad who bore the fruits of Guiao's pact with the UAAP. The PBL became a new venue for the age-old archrivalry between De La Salle University Green Archers and the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles - adding a new dimension to PBL competitions

Unlike the past PBL leaders, Trinidad shared the blessings PBL got through charitable projects, reaching out to institutions like the Habitat for Humanity, the Cancer Warriors and the Philippine Cerebral Palsy Inc. where the league donates a certain amount in behalf of the MVP for the education of cerebral palsy-inflicted kids.

Trinidad also plans to intensify the promotion of out-of-town games to reach out to more Filipinos and possibly, foreign stints to further elevate the quality performance of PBL players. Trinidad's partnership with Sy withered what was considered the biggest challenge to the existence of the PBL. The two stood strong, as the PBL now enjoys a certain stability and an unprecedented boom.

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