PHILIPPINE Sports Commission commissioner and basketball great Ramon Fernandez is calling for a deeper look into the controversy that surrounded the Pilipinas VisMin Cup match between the Siquijor Mystics and the Lapu-Lapu City Heroes.
The four-time PBA MVP and University of San Carlos product said he is saddened by the developments that marred the young regional professional basketball league whose teams are based in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Following the issue, Fernandez urged concerned parties to delve further into the issue starting with the structure of the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup, which opened its first-ever season this month inside its bubble in Alcantara, Cebu.
“I think they should dig deeper in the organizational setup of this league. Ano ba ang organizational set-up nyan, meron bang franchise fees ‘yan, may sharing sa income ba ‘yan, things like that,” said Fernandez, a luminary in Cebu basketball.
“And how are the team owners. Where are they from?” said Fernandez, a former commissioner of the Metropolitan Basketball Association.
The Games and Amusements Board is currently probing the matter even after the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup put its foot down by sanctioning teams, coaches, and players involved in the ugly game that saw players from Siquijor and Lapu-Lapu City missing easy shots.
The Mystics have been expelled in the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup, while their players and coaches have been sanctioned with a lifetime ban in the league.
Players and coaches of the Heroes were also not spared as the VisMin Cup also issued fines and suspensions to the ballclub.
The Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup is set to resume play on Friday after the league postponed its games on Thursday to announce the sanctions meted to Siquijor and Lapu-Lapu City.
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