IT’S a long list and it does not appear to be getting any shorter soon as the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) continues to crack its whip on players committing various mischiefs including game-fixing, unsportsmanlike-conduct and latest, violence against a fellow player.
The player to get the full measure of MPBL's disciplinary move was Michole Sorela, who was banned for life for punching an opposing player.
Michole Sorela
Sorela was slapped with a lifetime ban and a P200,000 fine after a vicious and dangerous foul on Jonas Tibayan.
The former San Beda forward threw a sucker punch on an unsuspecting Tibayan during the third quarter of the Gensan Warriors’ game against the Mindoro Tamaraws on Monday.
Tibayan suffered a concussion, a broken jaw, a busted lip, and a fractured shoulder from the punch, which MPBL commissioner Kenneth Duremdes described as “one of the worst” he’s seen in basketball.
Before the incident, Sorela has been averaging 2.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in six games for the Elvis Tolentino-coached GenSan.
Germy Mahinay
Mahinay previously held the distinction of being handed the severest punishment the MPBL has meted out on a player.
The former University of Santo Tomas and National University bruiser was given an indefinite suspension and a P100,000 penalty for undercutting Joey Barcuma in a game between the Negros Muscovados and Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines back in 2024.
Feeling the punishment was not sever enough, the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) slapped him with a lifetime ban for his action.
That, however, did not stop Mahinay from joining the PBA Season 49 Draft where he was taken in the fifth round, 46th overall by NorthPort. He, however, failed to secure a contract.
Since then, he has found his way back to the regional league after the Pasay Voyagers picked him up from the free agent pool and has suited up for them in their 81-64 win over the Muntinlupa Cagers back on July 10.
People are wondering whatever happened to the GAB's lifetime ban.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s list
The MPBL hasn’t only made a tough stance when it came to rough plays. It also sent a strong message to those undermining the very integrity of the sport.
Forty-seven individuals have been identified by the league – and later on named by San Juan Knights team owner Sen. Jinggoy Estrada – for their alleged involvement in game-fixing activities back in February 2024. The players were subsequently banned from the league.
Among the notables in Estrada's list were Marcy Arellano, Ken Acibar, Macky Acosta, and coach Monel Kallos who played for Bacolod, Bicol, Bulacan, Manila, Quezon City, and Laguna teams.
Of the 47 named by Estrada, nine have found their way back in the regional league, namely Harold Arboleda and Justin Alano (Davao Occidental Tigers), John Cantimbuhan and JR Raflores (Muntinlupa Cagers), Ryusei Koga (Imus Braderhood), Redel Fabro (Abra Weavers), Rence Alcoriza (Pampanga Giant Lanterns), Kyle Neypes (Valenzuela City Magic), and Allan Mangahas (Paranaque Patriots).
The others have not been seen in the MPBL since. But the question remains: How did these other players able to play again after being banned for game-fixing? And if they are truly innocent, then what does it say about the process of identifying game-fixers?
Soccsksargen Marlins
In the first display of the league taking a step towards accountability, the MPBL filed criminal charges against 17 individuals also involved in game-fixing who were identified with the Soccsksargen Marlins back in November 2019. The Department of Justice (DOJ) later indicted the suspects on April 2021.
The DOJ found probable cause for game-fixing on 10 players, as well as three Chinese nationals, for allegedly rigging the Marlins' games during the 2019-2020 season where the team posted a 1-29 win loss record.
Among the players who faced raps were Exequiel Biteng, Bong Melocoton, Matthew Bernabe, Janus Lozada, and Joshua Alcober, the last was a member of the Siquijor Mystics club which was also hit with a lifetime ban in the Pilipinas VisMin Super League.
"This should serve as a serious reminder to all other teams in the MPBL that we are intolerant to any form of cheating and other unsportsmanlike behavior," said boxing icon Manny Pacquiao who established the league in 2017 as a pathway for players not in the PBA.
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