FOR this month’s sports law round-up, I discuss three notable sports stories (and their sports law angles) that caught headlines and generated clicks this February.
Mango Tee-Gate
First is the Mango Tee controversy that saw the Board of Directors of Alabang Country Club unanimously withdraw the trophies awarded to Ronin Leviste and his partner Darren Flores and to Raymund Villafuerte and his partner Edward Tolentino.
Leviste and Flores had finished first at the latest iteration of the prestigious member-guest tournament on February 7, with Villafuerte and Tolentino finishing behind them. The board resolution came on the heels of outcry — both from other participants and then in social media — that something was afoot, amiss, and a-happening in the score cards of the winning teams.
After reviewing the investigative report of the Mango Tee Committee, the board stated that the scores of both teams were “highly unusual and statistically improbable,” which prompted the withdrawal of the trophies.
This raises the question on whether the teams, if so minded, may question the withdrawal of the trophies in court?
Short answer is no.
READ: How Alabang board arrived at decision to DQ Mango Tee winners
The Supreme Court in a long line of cases has already stated that courts generally won’t reverse the awards (or the withdrawal of such awards) of contests and competitions. Whether these are literary contests, beauty contests, or similar competitions, courts will not interfere in the results of contests and competitions where participants have no demandable right to an award or prize. It goes without saying that golfers do not have demandable rights to win an award in competitions they enter.
In fact, the Supreme Court has set the policy that it will not involve itself in matters calling for the reversal of sports results. In a 1995 case involving a cheating controversy in a soap box derby race, the Supreme Court stated that courts should refrain from intruding into matters which are more properly settled by sports bodies, unless there is an arbitrary and brazen violation of application of sports rules by officials. This is also the policy of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which has long refused to rule on field-of-play decisions.
With news reports outlining the careful steps taken by the Mango Tee Committee in investigating the controversy, it does not seem that there was any arbitrariness in the actions of the board. So, the withdrawal stands.
Mike Phillips’ FIBA Eligibility as a Local Player
The second sports story was good news for Gilas Pilipinas. DLSU Archer and UAAP Finals MVP Mike Phillips has been recognized by FIBA as a local player and is therefore eligible to play for Gilas in all FIBA tournaments.
For those curious on what it takes for a foreign-born player like Mike to be considered a local player, one must look at the FIBA Internal Regulations, Book 3, Paragraphs 15 and 16, which provide the two possible avenues for eligibility:
1. The player must have his passport of the country he or she wants to play for before he or she turns 18, or
2. The player demonstrates significant links.
As Mike wasn’t able to obtain his Philippine passport before he turned 18, Mike’s eligibility hinged on demonstrating significant links with the Philippines, which he passed with flying colors.
In determining significant links, FIBA considers the totality of circumstances of the following factors:
1. The number of years the player has lived in the country,
2. The number of seasons the player has participated in domestic competitions in the country,
3. If any of the parents of the player was born in the country,
4. If the player attended any schools or academic institutions in the country,
5. The player’s basketball activities in the country,
6. The player’s physical presence in the country,
7. Immediate family members living in the country, and
8. Other connections or links to the country, like property ownership, licenses, marriage, or even kids in the country.
Mike’s eligibility is not only timely for Gilas, but also to shed light on the revised FIBA Internal Regulations which took effect on December 4, 2025.
Previously, the age cut-off to obtain a passport was 16; this has been changed to 18. Further, the revised rules now enumerate the factors FIBA may consider to determine significant links for players who weren’t able to get their passports before they turned 18; the old rules left it to the discretion of the Secretary General to determine factors in exceptional cases.
Bol Bol Mania
PBA balllcub TNT Tropang 5G struck gold when it announced that 7’3” basketball stand-out Bol Bol is suiting up as its import for the upcoming Commissioner’s Cup. With his impressive skill set and NBA pedigree, the 26-yeard old son of legend Manute Bol will surely bring in more fans to the PBA.
Bol Bol’s arrival has also brought a few giggles, particularly from a news anchor in a recent news segment on Bol Bol’s arrival — presumably because the former Phoenix Sun has a name so nice, you say it twice.
This leads us (or at least led me, because I’m a sports law nerd) to Republic Act No. 9048, which allows people unhappy with their not-so-nice first name or nickname to petition the court to change it.
It’s highly doubtful that Bol Bol’s unhappy with his name — in a video posted on TnT Tropang 5G’s social media page on February 22, the Sudanese-American explained that it was very common in his culture for people to have the same first name and last name — but this may be useful information for people who are unhappy with theirs.
Under Section 4 of Republic Act No. 9048, a change of first name or nickname is allowed in the following cases:
1. The person finds his or her first name or nickname to be ridiculous, tainted with dishonor, or extremely difficult to write or pronounce;
2. The new first name or nickname has been habitually and continuously used by the person and he or she has been publicly known by such new name or nickname; or
3. The change will avoid confusion.
I, for one, am happy with my first name. Formal-ish and Jesuit-y as it sounds, it did get me a fair amount of street cred in the United States.
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