CHICAGO - The College of St. Benilde was on the fast lane to a Final Four spot in Season 98 of the ongoing NCAA tournament.
Everything was on cruise control, in sync.
Until that fateful Tuesday last November 8 when the Blazers played the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers at the FilOil EcoOil Center.
With St. Benilde up by 20 in the final 3:22 of play, JRU's John Amores stormed the CSB bench and went on a punching rampage that injured Jimboy Pasturan (black eye) and Taine Davies (concussion).
[READ: Video shows Amores crying inside dugout after running amok]
Just like Mark Gil Belmonte, another Amores victim, Pasturan and Davies have since filed a case against their attacker before the court of law.
Amores, who has a prior history of violence, has since been slapped with an indefinite suspension by both JRU and the NCAA.
Mystifyingly, three St. Benilde players were also suspended in the fallout - Mark Sangco, Ladis Lepalam and Chris Flores.
Lepalam, a starter, was iced for 1 game while Sangco, CSB's main big man, and Flores will each sit out 2 games.
St. Benilde immediately filed an appeal but it was denied on Thursday.
Without their three cogs the Blazers fell to Perpetual Help on Friday, 93-89, denting their Final Four aspirations.
THE NCAA'S MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MISMANAGED THIS CRISIS.
What happened to CSB is egregiously unfair, a blatant miscarriage of justice.
In a game that quickly turned chippy after St. Benilde built an insurmountable lead, the JRU players were the aggressors, according to several witnesses and videos that have gone viral on social media.
While the Blazers players may have also swung punches, they did so only to defend themselves, which is a birthright every citizen has when faced with an imminent threat to their personal safety.
What was St. Belide supposed to do when an angry mass puncher comes roaring at them with bad intentions? Were they supposed to just turn the other cheek while also surrendering their school pride and dignity?
Under the watch of executive director Rebo Saguisag, a stink like what St. Benilde got would never happen in the UAAP. And this is why that league is exceedingly more superior and classy than the NCAA.
What other league can you see a victim being penalized for exercising its instincts on self-preservation?
And why were the referees unable to control the game early on when Amores and a teammate were beginning to show signs of frustration and were just goading their opponents to a fight?
Also, where were the security personnel? Are there even any at NCAA games?
These are issues the Mancom should have addressed.
Instead, it chose to focus only on victimizing the victim.
We already know, life is so unfair.
The members of the NCAA Mancom, in their not-so-infinite wisdom, just validated that.
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