A TOUGH stretch starting this week has forced majority owner Bert Lina to put on hold plans for changes in Burger King’s manpower roster, especially its coaching staff.

Burger King co-owner Lito Alvarez said any change would be implemented during the Holy Week break. For the meantime, Junel Baculi and Jorge Gallent, as well as team scout Albert Tirona, will continue to assist head coach Yeng Guiao.

"We’ve decided that status quo lang muna, particularly the coaching staff," Alvarez said in a phone interview after a meeting with Lina yesterday. "We don’t want to disrupt the team because we have three important games in the next two weeks."

Burger King takes on Barako Bull tomorrow, battles Coca-Cola on Friday and winds up the stretch against Rain or Shine on March 25 also at the Big Dome.

"After that we can discuss and evaluate what steps to take because by that time magkakaroon na ng Holy Week break and may series of games ang PBA national team," Alvarez said.

Baculi, Gallent and Tirona, as well as other utility men, were brought in by the previous management handled by Harbour Centre’s Mikee Romero, who returned the team to Lina after his plans to join Burger King as a shareholder fell through.

Alvarez also had an earlier meeting with Erick Arejola, who acted as team manager in Burger King’s first four games. He is expected to relinquish the post to Alvarez.

Alvarez said other changes are on the way, including the team moniker–from Titans to Whopper, and the dark jersey color from black to blue which, he said, were Lina’s ideas.

Aside from Lina, who owns 60 percent of Burger King, other Burger King shareholders are telecommunications mogul Manny V. Pangilinan with 13 percent and Wilson Young of Tanduay, Ricky Vargas of PLDT and Alvarez who have five percent each.


http://www.malaya.com.ph/mar17/spor3.htm