GAB LOOKS INTO ?LAST HOME STAND? CONTROVERSY
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 30 Jul 2014
Citing the welfare of the basketball public as reason, the Games and Amusements Board has written the local organizers of the "The Last Home Stand," a project that would have pitted the World Cup-bound Philippine basketball team against an NBA Selection asking for an explanation as to why it was aborted.
GAB commissioners Aquil Mohammed Tamano and Fritz Gaston announced during last Saturday's SPORTS SABADO radio program that based on the statements the organizing PLDT HOME Fibr will give, the government's regulatory body on professional sports might recommend to the Department of Justice the filing of criminal charges to protect the interest of the public.
The GAB Board, headed by its chairman, Juan Ramon Guanzon, signed the letter sent last Thursday to PLDT HOME Fibr executive vice president Ariel Fermin a letter asking for explanation on what heppened.
"It depends, if we find out that a crime had been committed, then we in the GAB, having the mandate to safeguard the public welfare, will be recommending the filing of the necessary charges with the DoJ for the purpose," Tamano, a lawyer and a professor of law at the Mindanao State University-Marawi, told his interviewers during the program, sponsored by Rain of Shine, Philippine Sports Commission and PCSO.
"At first glance, it looks like here are elements of estafa in this case," Tamano assessed during the public service forum aired over DZAR and viewed live via streaming at www.sonshinetvradyo.com. "It has come to our attention that the event was advertised as a basketball game between the Philippine men's basketball team (Gilas Pilipinas) and selected NBA players."
"They even sold tickets ranging from a minimum of P750 to a maximum P20,000," he added. "Every basketball fan who bought tickets to the events, naturally though that they were for the games as advertised. But no basketball game took place."
"We at the GAB were besieged by the public with queries regarding the matter as a result," Gaston, for his part said. Paano nga naman masasabing they didn't advertised the game eh sa mahal ng tiket, siyempre ang iisipin ng mga tao eh para sa laro yun. Sino naman ang gagastos ng ganoon kalaking halaga kung drills lamang ang makikita?"
He was referring to a post-event statement made by Fermin who said they never said games will be held in their announcements inviting the public to support the project.
"Somehow, somewhere, there seemed to be deceit and negligence on the part of the organizers," Tamano said adding the fault lies on the local organizers for their failure to make sure that all the requirements had been done to go on with the project, which was to serve as part of the Nationals' preparations for the coming FIBA World Cup late August in Spain.
"They were negotiating with professional players whose salaries are worth millions of dollars a month, so dapat nalaman nila ang mga requirements under the Players Association's Collective Bargaining Agreement at na-follow up that they are met," the grandson of the late former Sen. Mamingal Tamano, said.
Gaston, skipper of the national team that gifted the country its first gold medal in the sport during the 1977 Southeast Asian Games, and Tamano expressed suspicion that one of the requirements not met was that in regards to insurance.
"Willing naman ang mga NBA player na maglaro, katunayan nandito na sila, except for a few who begged off. Kaya lang, we heard that their agents called them up on the eve of the event warning them of stiff fines and penalties should they see action,' Gaston, a former Ateneo Blue Eagle in his collegiate playing days said.
Only nine players, headed by the recent NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard of champion San Antonio Spurs, of hose invited arrived. Superstars Paul Pierce, Paul George and Blake Griffin begged off.
The duo were all praises to PLDT head Manny Pangilinan for promising to refund the fans who bought tickets for the two-day charity event aimed at raising funds for the benefit of the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation and Caritas Manila.
"That was an act of statesmanship on the part of Mr. MVP, who bankrolled the project and now has to reimburse the public of what they paid for," Tamano for his part, said.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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