UAAP board tackles DLSU mess today

The UAAP board convenes today to decide on the fate of La Salle and whether or not to accept the school’s fact-finding committee’s report or conduct its own investigation on the eligibility scam involving two La Salle players.

No specifics regarding La Salle’s case was listed in the agenda of the monthly board meeting but sources said everything will be tackled as the board tries to come up with a speedy resolution to the case and put an end to the sordid mess that has rocked the school and the league for weeks.

Also on tap in the meeting set at 10 a.m. at the Adamson conference room are the approval of minutes and matters tackled in the previous board meetings.

UAAP Fr. Max Rendon the other day said the board will first try to determine if there’s still a need to form a committee that will investigate the case, which broke out when La Salle admitted it had unknowingly fielded ineligible players over the last two years.

A majority vote of the seven members will decide if a new fact-finding body is needed. La Salle, to be represented by Lito Tanjuatco and Danny Jose, will not be allowed to vote.

La Salle disclosed its initial findings two weeks ago where it named Mark Benitez and Tim Gatchalian as the players who used spurious documents to be able to enter the school.

The report also tagged Raul Lacson, a contractual statistician, as the one who secured the fake documents for the players and former assistant team manager Manny Salgado as the other who could possibly have knowledge in securing the spurious documents.

Meanwhile, La Salle is reportedly endorsing its findings to the National Bureau of Investigation today in bid to get to the bottom of the case and punish those involved in the scam.

Last week, La Salle said it is seriously considering taking a leave of absence the rest of this season and in 2006 so as to institute internal reforms. It also ordered the return of the 2004 UAAP men’s trophy and came up with significant changes in admission policies, specifically with regards to the submission of hand-carried documents. — Dante Navarro