Yeng Guiao said foreign coaches should serve as avenues for local counterparts to expand their knowledge and prosper instead of taking their spots.
The NLEX coach made this explanation during Thursday’s episode of Coaches Unfiltered when asked about the long-contentious issue of allowing foreigners to call shots for teams in the pro and amateur ranks.
Guiao once served as president of the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines which has been advocating protection for the interest of local coaches.
“I am not absolutely against it,” Guiao said, mentioning American coaches and fellow PBA champions Tim Cone and Norman Black. “Initially we’ve had issues with them, but at a certain point, you have to accept that there’s foreign coaches that are able to secure their jobs.
“But I guess you said being protective, yes,” added Guiao. “I guess we have to give our local coaches a chance, first. We have to develop our coaching stable, because if we’re not going to do that, we are going to be overtaken by all foreign coaches.
“It’s like a newborn baby or a little boy that’s growing, they need help. They will need guidance. As a coaching fraternity, we should be able to help ourselves or help our Philippine coaches and not look for somebody in Europe, bring him here.
“And then the next team is going to say ‘Oh, they brought in somebody from Europe, let’s get somebody from Europe, let’s also get somebody from Europe or from the United States. Just bring him here. And it’s going to be all foreign coaches if you don’t do that. So we will be relegated to being assistant coaches.".
Guiao said the best way for foreign mentors is to serve as consultants, though that setup, he added, is being abused.
“We have to find a way to develop local talent first, and that’s why I don’t have any opposition to bringing in consultants. The problem is, it’s just now being abused,” he said.
“But if they’re really consultants and they’re really teaching our local coaches how to coach, then that would be the perfect formula, and not taking over the coaching job.
“Yun ang difference, teach us how to coach so we can coach. Kung baga, turuan niyo kami mangisda. Kung magaling kayo mangisda, turuan niyo kami mangisda para makapangisda kami sa sarili namin. We’re not saying na mas magaling kami sa inyo. Hindi. We’re not saying that, but give us a chance to be better kasi magaling na kayo.
“Ngayon, pag pinabayaan lang natin lahat ng magaling na pumasok dito, hindi na tayo gagaling. That’s just the point, that’s the whole point, actually," Guiao stressed.