Cardona deserves apology

The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) basketball season is over but there is still no confirmation that La Salle rookie Mark Cardona was eligible to play for the Green Archers.

Cardona was named the Rookie of the Year despite doubts raised by some members of the UAAP Board on the authenticity of his transcript from Carson High School in California. Does the award mean that Cardona has been cleared?

Cardona’s eligibility was questioned after the deadline for such an investigation had passed. Some members of the Board shamelessly interpreted Cardona’s two-year and three-month stay at Carson as three years to force a two-year residence on the freshman. A fraction of a year is considered the entire year, insisted a reputable Board member who conveniently forgot that in the UAAP rulebook defining the period of residence, a year is defined as consisting of 365 days and two years, 730 days.

When the interpretation smacked of an illicit agenda to disqualify an eligible player, the Board brought up the issue of tampering Cardona’s transcripts. The Board went to the extent of designating a University of the Philippines (UP) official to contact Carson High authorities to check on Cardona’s papers. That wasn’t just a slap on Cardona’s face–it was a slap on La Salle’s face.

Carson High assistant principal Jeff Davis was flabbergasted when he received the letter from the UAAP Board representative asking for a certified copy of Cardona’s transcripts. He called it a "witch-hunt." Davis wondered why the UAAP Board wouldn’t take La Salle’s word for it. In his mind, he probably thought academicians had a low regard for each other in the Philippines. For why would a school check on the records of a student who is not attending that school?

Tito Laureola, a La Salle alumnus who interviewed Davis on his reaction to UP’s request for a certified copy of Cardona’s transcripts, said: "The university requested the records to verify if the student attended longer than he claimed on his transcripts submitted to La Salle," said Laureola. "This was the only request for records that Davis received for a non-athlete to verify subsequent athletic eligibility from a school that the student is not attending. Because of all this, coupled with La Salle’s winning tradition, he said that the whole affair looked like a witch-hunt. He said that they always get requests for transcripts of students from different universities and that it is standard procedure for them to mail copies directly to the university officials. What is unusual about the request is that normally, universities check to make sure that the student athletes took the required courses and spent the required amount of time in the school. Mark’s case was the exact opposite."

Davis dutifully sent the certified copy to the UAAP Board representative, UP’s Ms. Gilda Uy, by regular mail last August. The copy should’ve been received over a month ago. Why has there been no formal resolution of Cardona’s case? What has the UAAP Board kept silent on it? Is it because what was sent by Davis was exactly the same as what La Salle had previously submitted to the UAAP Board?

If Cardona’s transcripts are in order–as they surely are, doesn’t the UAAP Board owe the player an apology? Or at the very least, the UAAP Board should confirm his eligibility–even after the season is over.

What message does this witch-hunt send to athletes and students? That some members of the UAAP Board will stoop so low to deliberately misinterpret rules and subject a school to trial by publicity for the purpose of trying to disqualify an eligible player?

It’s not widely known that Cardona missed La Salle’s three straight practices before last Tuesday’s do-or-die game against Ateneo because of the flu. He was confined at the Makati Medical Center last Saturday and wasn’t released until just before lunch the day of the title contest. Cardona went straight from the hospital to the Big Dome and played his guts out. He wasn’t 100 percent but gave it his all. Cardona scored four points and fouled out. After the game, he attended a dinner at the La Salle campus on Taft then was whisked back to the hospital by his doctor.

Archers coach Franz Pumaren never told anyone about Cardona’s condition. He was hurt when some quarters doubted reports that several Archers were down with a flu virus days before Game 2 of the Finals.

"All that controversy about Mark’s eligibility, then his health–none of that affected him," said Pumaren. "That’s the kind of guy he is. I wish all players were like Mark."

After the Archers won the UAAP title, Cardona said he would never break any rules just to play. Pumaren, for his part, said La Salle would never tolerate violating rules on eligibility and neither would he.

Cardona is special. He was born here and was only two when his mother left to work in Greece as a domestic helper. His father died in 1994 and the next year, he went to the US to join his mother who had slipped out of Greece as a stowaway, helped by Filipino seamen, after she was badly treated by her Greek employer.

Cardona never played basketball at Carson High. Davis described him as "a troubled kid because he was bounced around like a pinball from one relative to another."

Now, Cardona has a chance to make something out of his life–by playing basketball for the school of his choice and in the country of his choice. He shouldn’t be deprived of that opportunity.

The UAAP Board owes Cardona an apology.