By Lucio Gabor
On Easter Sunday, Philippine women's basketball icon Haydee Ong announced her resignation as commissioner of the Women's Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL), a move that might be described as "made in heaven."
Ong stepped down from her post in the country’s first professional basketball league for women, citing “irreconcilable differences” with league officials and management.
“When I accepted this role, I had one vision: to create a professional platform for Filipina basketball players to showcase their talent. However, over the past several months, it has become increasingly clear that the current environment within the league’s management has made that mission impossible to fulfill,” said Ong.
A former national team player and coach, Ong previously guided the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses to the UAAP title in 2023, ending the dominance of National University Lady Bulldogs.
“Unfortunately, there have been irreconcilable differences in making critical and major decisions for the league,” she added.
“It is with a heavy heart but a clear conscience that I announce my formal resignation as the commissioner of the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, effective immediately,” Ong said in a statement posted on her Facebook page.
The WMPBL serves as the women’s counterpart of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), which was founded by boxing legend and former senator Manny Pacquiao.
