The Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup expelled the Siquijor Mystics while players and coaches of ARQ Builders-Lapu-Lapu City were fined and suspended for their role in a controversial game held Wednesday, April 14 in Alcantara, Cebu.
Chief operating officer Rocky Chan made the announcement a day after several players from both teams dubiously miss several free throws and layups during the contest that the league said was eventually stopped at halftime due to power outage.
Chan banned all players and coaches of Siquijor from joining in any VisMin Super Cup teams in the future.
Listed in Siquijor’s official roster are Ryan Buenafe, Joshua Alcober, Vincent Tangcay, Jan Penaflor, Gene Bellaza, Michael Calomot, Frederick Rodriguez, Jopet Quiro, Isagani Gooc, Miguel Castellano, Juan Aspiras, Peter Buenafe and Michael Sereno, with Joel Palapal serving as head coach.
The league also banned Lapu-Lapu’s Rendell Senining for the rest of the tournament while teammates Jojo Tangkay, Reed Juntilla, Monbert Arong, Dawn Ochea and Ferdinand Lusdoc are suspended for the remainder of the first round.
Senining and Ochea, who during the game were missing free throws in a dubious manner, Tangkay, Juntilla, Arong and Lusdoc were also fined P15,000.
Lapu-Lapu coach Francis Auquico is likewise banned for the rest of the first round and fined P30,000 while assistants Jerry Abuyabor, Alex Cainglet, Jan Cyrlo Nuyles, Hamilton Tundag and Roger Justin Potpot were each slapped with a P20,000 fine.
“This is a clear statement of the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup that any deliberate of any of these teams and players are not tolerated,” said Chan in a video statement Thursday, April 15.
“If ginagawa niyo to sa ibang liga, wag dito sa Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup (If you’re doing this in other leagues, don't do it here in the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup.),” added Chan.
Chan also added that teams who will commit similar acts in the future will be fined P1 million plus expulsion from the league while apologizing for the unfortunate incident which prompted condemnation from members of the local basketball community.
Chooks-to-Go even threatened to pull out as the league’s title sponsor unless a full disclosure of the findings are made.
League officials led by Chan and secretary-general Chelito Caro postponed Thursday’s tripleheader to focus on the incident, but assured that games in the Visayas leg will resume Friday afternoon.
Lapu-Lapu was ahead 27-13 at halftime when league officials decided to halt the game, citing a power outage that occurred inside the Alcantara Civic Center.