CEBU CITY, Philippines — In any sport, referees often bear the brunt of spectators’ disagreements with their decisions.
They spend most nights being yelled at, with many fans throwing up every insult they can think of.
It’s one of the most thankless jobs in sports. Yet a few who are tough enough choose this path and excel in it.
One of them is Aaron Rey Balbuena Cañete, a Cebuano who recently and quietly carved out a piece of history.
Earlier this year, he became the first Filipino basketball referee to earn an invitation to a National Basketball Association (NBA) enrichment program.
The NBA Summer League International Officiating Instructor Program was rare opportunity that put him in the same room with some of the best officials in the world.
READ: Cebuano referee makes history in NBA Summer League
It was a milestone he talks about with both pride and humility.
“It was a great learning experience. I learned a lot, especially about individual officiating techniques and NBA officiating protocols,” he said.
Cañete even got the chance to meet Scott Foster, one of the NBA’s most well-known referees.
“My ultimate goal is to officiate, at the highest level, international games like Fiba competitions,” he said.
A different love for basketball
Cañete grew up around the game.
His father, Reynaldo, is a respected regional executive of the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas and a familiar figure in Cebu’s basketball community.
But Aaron didn’t take the common route. He was 16 and still a high school player when he officiated his first game. It wasn’t passion, as he said, that hooked him at first. It was the challenge.
“The most common misconception is that referees are biased or favor one team during the game, which is not true,” said Cañete.
He knows the pressure that comes with working in tense arenas where emotions can shift in an instant and entire crowds direct their frustration at referees like him. Still, he tries to approach every situation with professionalism and authority.
“Yes, I’ve experienced this during different games, especially in intense or close matches. Emotions run high, and sometimes players, coaches, or fans become confrontational. It’s part of the job, and we learn how to handle it professionally,” he added.
His father and his uncle, Paul, were the ones who inspired him to officiate. From there, he quietly climbed the ladder, moving from local games to national leagues and eventually into the National Collegiate Athletic Association in Manila.
Grateful to mentors
In 2023, he became an accredited referee of the International Basketball Association or Fiba for both 5-on-5 and 3×3. That opened the door to the NBA Summer League invitation
Cañete is quick to credit others for helping him with his achievements.
He acknowledged the support of SBP technical head Andrew Te, along with Fiba World Cup and Olympic referee Ferdinand “Bong” Pascual, and SBP executives Al Panlilio and Erika Dy, who helped open the door to the NBA Summer League opportunity.
He also expressed his gratitude to those who guided him from the beginning.
“I’d like to thank my father, my family, my senior referees in the Philippines, the Fiba Commissioners and Fiba referees in the country, Sir Liberato Valenzuela, Sir Andrew Teh, and especially Sir Ferdinand ‘Bong’ Pascual, who has always been there to guide me,” he said.
“Thank you all for your support, guidance, and for believing in me throughout my journey.”
Even with a packed schedule in Manila and abroad, he always finds time to return home. In August, he worked as one of the referees in Cebu’s inaugural inter-collegiate invitational tournament — a full-circle moment in what’s becoming an impressive career in basketball officiating.
3rd photo: Aaron Rey Balbuena Cañete. | Facebook photo