Basketball great Kenneth Duremdes faces a new challenge after getting appointed as president of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).

Duremdes said he is thrilled to assume the leadership role that will allow him to focus more on the business side of the biggest and most prestigious regional basketball league in the country.

In an announcement on Saturday, the MPBL promoted Duremdes as league president while former University of Santo Tomas star Emerson Oreta will assume his old post as commissioner.

Another former Philippine Basketball Association player in Zaldy Realubit will return as head of operations in the latest leadership changes of the cage league founded by former Senator Manny Pacquiao.

With that, Oreta will serve as the league’s third commissioner following founding commissioner Snow Badua and Duremdes, who grew the league to 30 teams in his seven years of duty.

“I am deeply honored by the trust given to me by our founder, Manny Pacquiao,” said Duremdes, whose promotion came a month following the highly-successful National Finals between the Abra Solid North Weavers and the Quezon Huskers.

“Having served as commissioner, I’ve seen firsthand the passion of our teams, players and communities. As president, my focus is to further strengthen the league, uphold integrity, and continue providing opportunities for Filipino talents across the country.”

In a conversation with DAILY TRIBUNE, Duremdes said his appointment didn’t come as a surprise.

“Well, I’ve been leading the league while also serving as commissioner for the past seven years,” he said in a telephone call also on Saturday. 

“So it was no longer surprising. Boss Manny just split my functions and defined my role to make sure that there will be no overlap in the responsibilities.”

“Now that I’m the league president, I can focus on reaching out to stakeholders, forging relationships with current and potential investors and growing the business. Although they can still consult me on basketball-related matters, my role now is to stabilitize the league.”

Oreta also expressed his gratitude to the trust given to him by Pacquiao, saying that he will work hard to match the accomplishments of Duremdes during his seven-year term as commissioner.

“I am grateful for the trust given to me by our MPBL founder and chairman Manny Pacquiao and I am honored to lead the league in this capacity,” Oreta said.

“I am also committed to upholding the integrity of the league while working closely with teams and stakeholders.”