THE Department of Justice has recommended the filing of criminal cases against 17 persons accused of multiple counts of game-fixing during the Soccsksargen Marlins' campaign in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).
Among those charged were 12 players and coaches of the Marlins side that lost 18 straight games to start the MPBL's Lakan season in 2019, prompting league owner Sen. Manny Pacquiao and commissioner Kenneth Duremdes to investigate.
Pacquiao filed multiple counts of game-fixing and point-shaving charges against 21 persons, including three Chinese nationals, in November 2019 and the DOJ has moved to indict 17 of them on Friday, according to a report by the Manila Bulletin.
The cases are among the few to reach a court of law in basketball-mad Philippines, where suspicion of game-fixing and point-shaving has long cast a dark cloud over games in the professional, college and amateur level.
Fittingly, news of the breakthrough comes just a day after a new regional league, the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup, banned one team for life and suspended and fined members of another ballclub after a dubious game.
Curiously, among those charged were Joshua Alcober aka Desmond Alcober, who was one of the members of the Siquijor Mystics ballclub that was hit with a lifetime ban on Thursday following their controversial match against Lapu-Lapu.
According to the MPBL complaint, the respondents worked to rig the result of games played in the MPBL between July and October in Pasay, Pasig, Navotas, Caloocan, Muntinlupa, Batangas City, Bacoor, Malolos, Angeles City, and Bacolod City.
On Friday, the DOJ said it has found probable cause for game-fixing under Section 1 of Presidential Decree No. 1602 in relation to Presidential Decree 483 against a certain Mr. Sung (14 counts), Sonny Uy a.k.a. Sunny Uy (9 counts), Serafin Matias (7 counts), Ferdinand C. Melocoton (4 counts), Jake Diwa (14 counts), Exequiel A. Biteng (13 counts), Jerome Juanico (14 counts), Matthew Bernabe (12 counts), Abraham Santos (10 counts), Ricky Morillo a.k.a. Ricky Maurillo (1 count), John Patrick C. Rabe (7 counts), Ryan T. Regalado (9 counts), Julio A. Magbanua (10 counts), Janus Lozada (1 count), Alcober, a certain Kein a.k.a. Kein Zhu (3 counts) and a certain Emma a.k.a. Emma Meng (1 count).
Mr. Sung, Uy, Matias, Melocoton, Diwa, Biteng, Juanico, Bernabe, Santos, Rabe, Regalado, Morillo, Matias, Lozada, Alcober, Kein, and Emma were included in the complaint made by MPBL founder Manny Pacquiao in 2019.
Matias and Melocoton were part of the coaching staff of the Quezon City Capitals when the issue broke two years ago.
Diwa, Biteng, Juanico, Bernabe, Rabe, Santos, Regalado, Morillo, Matias, Lozada, and Alcober, meanwhile, saw action for Soccksargen two years ago before the ballclub was suspended due to the game-fixing allegations.
The Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) will file the charges before trial courts in Batangas and in the cities of Malolos, Angeles, Pasay, Pasig, Caloocan, and Muntinlupa.
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