Starhorse acquires Terrafirma PBA franchise

PENDING APPROVAL by the PBA, a new ballclub — Starhorse Shipping Line — is in line to make its debut in the 50th season in place of Terrafirma.

The Dyip, as confirmed by governor Bobby Rosales, has struck a deal with Starhorse for the sale of his PBA franchise.

“We’ll have to go through the process of the PBA,” Mr. Rosales told The STAR on Sunday.

Terrafirma and Starhorse agreed to the sale lock, stock and barrel, similar to the one consummated by Converge when it bought the Alaska franchise in 2022 for an estimated P100 million.

The Terrafirma-Starhorse transaction will need the approval of at least two-thirds of the PBA board.

If approved, the plan is for the Dyip to play their swan song in the coming Philippine Cup in April. Then once Terrafirma made its final bow after a 10-season run, Starhorse will fly the banner in Season 50.

Starhorse, a domestic shipping company that operates in the Calabarzon, Bicol, Visayas, and Mimaropa regions, is a new player in the Philippine basketball scene.

Recently, the company came in as backer of the Basilan team which is making its comeback in the MPBL after a two-year leave of absence. — Olmin Leyba