Commissioner Salud hints at punishments as he summons Yeng Guiao, Cliff Hodge for 'verbal insult' allegation

PBA Commissioner Chito Salud has summoned Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao and Meralco forward Cliff Hodge to the league office on Friday to explain their sides in an altercation late in quarterfinal game on Wednesday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

A fuming Guiao tried to confront Hodge at the end of the Elasto Painters’ 102-93 win in Game Two of their Commissioner's Cup best-of-three series, clearly peeved by the 'closed fist' hit thje Meralco forward gave Rain or Shine rookie Raymond Almazan in the game's dying seconds.

Witnesses said Guiao called Hodge a "mongoloid."

Salud was at the scene during the confrontation and was among those who appeased Guiao but said that at the “height of their confrontation, I was able to appease (Guiao) to go straight to the dugout. Beyond that I really do not know what happened.”

That’s why the commissioner has invited the Painters coach to a 1 p.m. meeting to hear his side, with Salud hinting that another penalty is in order if Guiao is found guilty of the charge.

“Name-calling and the use of insulting language will have consequences,” Salud said.

Salud said he also focused on another concern: the hard foul committed by Hodge on Almazan and the “failure of our referees to spot the hard foul.”

The commissioner has invited Hodge to a 2:30 p.m. meeting, with his sights set on a possible upgrade from a regular foul to a flagrant.

“A foul was called, but in my mind, that could’ve easily been reviewable for flagrant,” Salud said.