ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Golf devider MPBL pursues deeper probe Into Bacolod franchise

MPBL pursues deeper probe Into Bacolod franchise

Published Aug 3, 2026 12:24 pm

At A Glance

  • The removal of the Bacolod Masskara franchise from the remainder of the SportsPlus MPBL 2026 Season, together with the lifetime suspension imposed on the players and coaches covered by the league's disciplinary action, underscores Commissioner Emmer Oreta's unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).
MPBL Commissioner Emmer Oreta (MPBL)
MPBL Commissioner Emmer Oreta (MPBL)
The removal of the Bacolod Masskara franchise from the remainder of the SportsPlus MPBL 2026 Season, together with the lifetime suspension imposed on the players and coaches covered by the league's disciplinary action, underscores Commissioner Emmer Oreta's unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).
"When I assumed the role of Commissioner for MPBL Season 8, I made one commitment clear: to strengthen the integrity of the league through decisive and consistent action. Every action we have taken since then reflects that commitment," Oreta said.
Since the start of the season, the league has consistently enforced its integrity measures. In April 2026, the MPBL issued a Yellow Card to the Head Coach of Bacolod Masskara as a formal warning following integrity concerns. In May 2026, the league issued a Yellow Card to the Iloilo franchise following similar concerns. In June 2026, the MPBL revoked the franchise of the Iloilo team after violations of league standards. On July 30, 2026, following the July 28 game between Bacolod and Bulacan, the league issued Red Cards, disqualified the individuals involved, and removed the Bacolod Masskara franchise from the remainder of the season.
"These actions reflect our commitment to protect the integrity of the MPBL," Oreta said. "If protecting the integrity of this league means having fewer teams, then so be it. I will never compromise the integrity of the MPBL. We owe that to our players, our team owners, our fans, and everyone who believes in fair competition."
Beyond the league's administrative actions, the MPBL, through the office of the Chief Legal Counsel, Atty. Glenn Gacal, is in active coordination with the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) and applicable government agencies, such as the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), to further strengthen the ongoing investigation and pursue the appropriate legal and regulatory actions.
Gacal said the MPBL will continue to fully cooperate with the concerned government agencies and provide all necessary assistance to ensure that those responsible are held accountable in accordance with the law.
Nobody will be spared from the full-blown investigation, not even team officials and management, that the MBPL is seeking from the GAB, according to Gacal.
Regarding the Iloilo franchise, Gacal said rules and regulations, including its sanctions/penalties in the event of breach/violations, are already in place, and the team management's financial obligation to the players and the league should always be timely fulfilled.
For Oreta, the message is simple. This is not about one team. It is about protecting every honest player, every team owner, and the credibility of the MPBL. The league will continue to act decisively against anyone who compromises the integrity of the game because the integrity of the MPBL always comes first.

Related Tags

MPBL
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.