Walkout costs Texters over P1 million

MANILA, Philippines - Aside losing the Philippine Cup crown, Talk n Text was also penalized with a fine of over P1 million for its walkout in Game Four of their best-of-five quarterfinals series with Barangay Ginebra.

PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios imposed the sanction yesterday, explaining there’s a proper process a team can undertake to express disagreement with officiating.

Barrios pointed out that the PBA and its teams serve different publics, foremost of which are the fans, who happen to be the lifeblood of the league and whose interest the league has sworn to protect.

“There are established rules and procedures to properly ventilate a team’s disagreement with officiating so that the fans do not become innocent and unwilling victims of a team’s protest over calls,” said Barrios.

Under the PBA constitution and by-laws, a fine of P500,000 is the basic penalty for a walkout, forfeiture or default. It goes in favor of the rival team.

Barrios also imposed an additional P500,000 fine which will go to the Players’ Educational Trust Fund for the benefit of the players and their dependents.

On top of that, TnT’s share in the gate receipts and TV revenues for that game, which could be anywhere from P200,000 to P250,000, has been forfeited in favor of the nine other PBA ballclubs.

Talk n Text team manager Virgil Villavicencio said they will protest the extra fine and will seek clarification on the entire penalty.

The Texters walked out of Game Four, barely 11 minutes into the contest, in protest over alleged biased officiating. (Related story on A-26)

Coach Chot Reyes said the last straw was the flagrant foul penalty 2 imposed on Ranidel de Ocampo, causing him outright ejection in Game Four and suspension for the next game.

But despite eventually losing the series, team owner Manny V. Pangilinan expressed no regrets over the walkout, stressing that’s the right decision under the circumstances.

Pangilinan said the entire team will be under evaluation.

Barrios, meanwhile, believed the Tropang Texters can rise above adversity as they’d shown by their all-out effort in the do-or-die setto.