Commissioner Sonny Barrios will leave the PBA with pride, saying it was very rewarding and fulfilling despite some controversies during his three-year term.

For one, the league enjoyed a remarkable increase in gross gate receipts due to the fans’ renewed interest to the game which he credited to marketing innovations.

The recent Fiesta Cup turned out to be the biggest blockbuster in his three years at the helm.

“It’s very rewarding. It’s the highest in the three Fiesta Cup conferences that I have handled. We had P37 million in gross gate receipts (in the conference) and around P75.3 million for the whole season,” said Barrios who will remain as PBA consultant after he steps down.

The P75.3 million figure from Manila and provincial games is higher by 6.6 percent from last year which generated P70.7 million in income.

Barrios thanked the PBA Board for his three-year stint as commissioner in the PBA.

“To me it was very rewarding, fulfilling, heart-warming. I can only thank the Board for its trust and confidence and for giving me this responsibility. I’ve been through all the controversy and they stuck with me,” said Barrios who had spent a total of 21 years serving the PBA in various capacities.

Meanwhile, Barrios, who appeared alongside B-Meg Derby Ace and PBA chairman Rene Pardo, said the Board has already approved the reversion of the league to a three-conference format when it turns 36 beginning October 3.

The opener will pit Barangay Ginebra against Meralco at the Araneta Coliseum.

The PBA used to play three conferences in a year since its inception in 1975, but decided to shorten the season beginning the 2004-05 playing calendar under the term of former commissioner Noli Eala.

The plan was made to accommodate the all-pro national team in its preparation for international tournaments.

“The first conference will be All- Filipino, and it will be the longest among the three, while the other two will be import-laced although the third is still being finalized since we are looking at putting some handicap (height limit for imports) to level the playing field,” Barrios said.

“We certainly hope it will be different (three-conference format). The crowd comes in during the payoffs, so if we have three conferences, this means three playoffs and that will bring crowd and sponsors to the PBA and will improve the PBA finances,” said Pardo, whose squad will have the ninth pick in Annual PBA draft on Sunday.