CEBU CITY – One day after a brawl involving some Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) players broke out in Carmen town, northern Cebu, another melee also erupted following a basketball game in the municipality of Moalboal, southern Cebu.
A BRAWL erupted between players of the University of Cebu and Cebu Institute of Technology-University after their game at the 1st Mayor Inocentes Cabaron Inter-Collegiate Invitational Basketball Tournament in Moalboal, Cebu on Sunday night, April 23. UC won, 60-57. (Screenshot from video courtesy of John Lester Tapales)
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Police said players from the University of Cebu (UC) and Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) traded blows after the game on Sunday night, April 23.
In a report by radio station dyLA, the trouble broke out after UC won over CIT-U, 60-57. The game was part of the 1st Mayor Inocentes Cabaron Inter-Collegiate Invitational Basketball Tournament.
The tournament was participated by five Cebu City-based universities which are part of the Cebu Schools Athletic Federation Inc.
A video posted by one John Lester Tapales showed that players from the two teams throwing punches with one player falling to the ground while taking some blows.
In a police report signed by Police Capt. Elmond John Mondaya, chief of the Moalboal police station, the players involved in the melee were UC’s Niño Teff Atunay and Joseph Nalos.
Nalos’ 49-year-old father Josephairo was also involved in the fracas, police said.
Eduard Clarete Jr., 23; Key Darang Suano, 24, and coach Edsel Vallena, 51, were among those involved from the CIT-U side.
Police said the game started at 9 p.m. but tension broke out in the final 0.7 seconds of the game when a CIT-U player fouled a UC player.
After the game, Joseph allegedly confronted CIT-U’s Kobe Palencia and challenged him to a fistfight outside the gym.
A heated argument ensued before the opposing players traded blows.
The players sustained injuries and were brought to the Badian District Hospital in Badian, Cebu for medication, police said.
The sports committee of the municipal government of Moalboal has condemned the incident “in the strongest terms.”
“We share the view of the Cesafi that violence has no place in sports. We have coordinated with Cesafi Commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy and we will submit our own report of the incident, along with the spot report from the Moalboal PNP,” the committee said in a statement.
“Since this is a Cesafi-sanctioned pre-season tournament, we will defer to the wisdom of the league regarding the sanctions on those involved,” it added.
The committee assured that “we will enhance our security measures to avoid post-game incidents.”
This incident happened a day after PBA players Beau Belga and JR Quiñahan figured in a fight with foreign players in a basketball game in Carmen.