THE Games and Amusements Board has cracked the whip on 19 individuals allegedly involved in the game-fixing controversy involving the Syquijor Mystics and ARQ Lapu-Lapu Builders in the Visayan leg of the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup in Alcantara, Cebu in April last year.
“After a careful and judicious evaluation of the case, the Board has decided to impose penalties on 19 VisMin players to serve as a deterrent (to game-fixing),” GAB Chairman Baham Mitra, who celebrated his 52nd birthday, reported yesterday.
Getting the axe were Syquijor coach Joel Palapal and nine players whose licenses were earlier revoked and barred from competing in any pro league sanctioned by the GAB.
The Syquijor players were identified as Ryan Buenafe, Joshua Alcober, Juan Aspiras, Gene Belleza, Peter Buenafe, Michael Calomot, Jan Penaflor, Joseph Quiro, Frederick Rodriguez.
ARQ Builders coach Francis Auquico and players Rendell Senining, Reed Juntilla and Jercules Tangkay were also suspended for six months while cagers Dawn Ochea, Franz Arong and Ferdinand Lusdoc were given three-month suspensions each together with assistant coaches Jerry Abuyador and Alex Cainglet.
“We want to remind everyone that game-fixing is never okay. We have a law penalizing a law penalizing game-fixing and point-shaving,” Mitra stressed. “GAB is always ready to eradicate, if not eliminate this kind of illegal practice in professional sports.”
