THE father of National University high school star Hubert Cani denied that they have asked for "outrageous perks" from before his son commits to play for the Bulldogs in college.
Cani’s father Jon-jon told Spin.ph on Tuesday that his family has become the target of criticism on social networking sites from fans who feel they were the ones alluded to in a piece by Inquirer columnist Beth Celis entitled, 'Recruitment rears ugly head again.'
In the column, Celis wrote about a father of a certain player who "asked for a house and lot, sport utility vehicle, and scholarships for his four other siblings all the way to the masteral level from the school" before committing the son to play for the Bulldogs.
Jon-jon Cani said the person being referred to in the column is definitely not him since he only has two sons including Hubert.
“Dalawa lang ang anak ko, ang sabi doon nanghihingi ng house and lot, SUV, and masteral ng apat na kapatid,” said the elder Cani.
Although they were clearly not the subject of the blind item, Jon-jon rued his family has been affected since critics are naturally pointing to their son since the reigning UAAP juniors Finals MVP is one of the most sought-after players in NU's juniors team.
“Kahit hindi kami ‘yun, marami pa rin ang nagtatanong kung kami ‘yun lalo na kung hindi kami masyadong kilala … since si Hubert, nasa NU, kami ang natitira sa social media,” Jon-Jon said.
Jon-jon also said the Cani family is careful not to ruin its name or offend people in the recruitment process since his wife also works in the NU athletic department under its head Junel Baculi.
“Ang wife ko, nagwo-work sa NU under kay Sir Junel Baculi. Hindi namin sisirain ang name namin,” said Jon-jon.
Jon-jon had earlier said that his son has yet to commit to any school in college, although he admitted that the Bullpups star is "interested" to play for Ateneo's Blue Eagles in college.
The father of Cani also said that NU will be the first to learn about their decision on whether to stay or leave the school.
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