AFTER homophobic remarks directed to Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna and Danerie James “Wise” Del Rosario, as well as sexual comments about Thai Mobile Legends player Chareeny “Ramella” Ramella, Duane “Kelra” Pillas has been hit by sanctions by the Mobile Legends Professional League-Philippines.
The MPL-PH Operating Committee has issued an official statement on their Facebook page.
It stated that Kelra has violated the following MPL-PH Season 8 rules: Rule 12.3.3, Sexual Harassment, and Rule 12.3.4, Discrimination and Denigration.
Given the severity of the situation, the Smart Omega rising star will serve a two week suspension which will begin on the first day of the MPL Season 8. (No schedule has been announced by the league, as the NCR is still under ECQ.) He was also given a warning and a fine from the committee.
Even his team, Omega Esports, was also affected, as the team was issued a "serious warning."
League calls for more professionalism after Kelra incident
In response to these incidents, the committee required every MPL-PH player to attend Gender Sensitivity and Sexual Harassment Awareness Training Seminars. They further added that this behavior isn’t tolerated in the league.
“MPL-PH Operating Committee does not tolerate any form of discrimination in the league and we expect our professional players to follow a strict code of conduct. The MPL-Philippines is working with all the teams to produce a safe environment for everyone.”
They ended by encouraging the community to promote a healthier esports ecosystem.
“Let's work together to build a more mature and professional league.”
Following the release of the statement, Ramella published another post on Facebook, questioning the severity of the sanctions.
"Only 14 days ban without any apologies from the team. Is sexually harassment acceptable policy of his team? Or is it an okay thing to do in Philippines?" she wrote. "As a female player, I don’t feel any reassurance. Sorry guys."
(UPDATE, 16 August, 7:45 p.m) After the league released its official sanction, Kelra's team, Omega Esports, has also broken its silence on the issue, and issued a statement of its own.
"We are saddened and disappointed over the recent behavior online of Smart Omega player Duane 'Kelra' Pillas," it said. "An internal investigation has begun to address the matter. We are also coordinating with MPL regarding this issue. Rest assured we are taking steps to ensure respect and professionalism above all among all our players."
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