UAAP commish bows to Board’s authority

MANILA, Philippines - UAAP commissioner Chito Loyzaga said the other day he is bound to abide by the decisions of the Board of Trustees in “the spirit of the league” and his authority ends where the rule of the representatives of the eight member schools begins.

Loyzaga said the recent Board directive overturning his two-game suspension on UE center Charles Mammie is within its prerogative. The suspension was upheld by the Board on a first appeal but downgraded to just one game on a second appeal about an hour before the Red Warriors played La Salle in a crucial senior men’s basketball game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Wednesday.

“The Board acts in the spirit of the league,” said Loyzaga. “I made my decision on Mammie and when UE wanted to appeal it, I advised them to bring it up to the Board. As commissioner, that’s all I can do. In the end, the Board has the right to do as it sees fit.”

Loyzaga based his decision on league rules. “I just followed the rules on the accumulation of unsportsmanlike fouls,” he said. “A player gets a warning on his first unsportsmanlike foul then a one-game suspension on his second and a two-game suspension on his third. A fourth will mean a ban for the rest of the season. Those penalties were ratified by the Board. I inherited the rules when I became commissioner. On Mammie’s third unsportsmanlike foul, it wasn’t called by the referees. But upon review after the game with (deputy commissioner) Ato (Badolato) and the referees, I decided to upgrade the foul because Mammie stuck out his foot on the landing spot of a jumper. In the PBA, that’s an automatic ejection if there is contact. I felt it was a dangerous foul and that’s why I upgraded it to unsportsmanlike.”

After UE’s first appeal was rejected, a second appeal was taken up by the Board in an emergency meeting before the Warriors game against La Salle. No new evidence was submitted by UE but the Board decided to downgrade the suspension and allow Mammie to play since the unsportsmanlike foul was not called by the referees on the court. A source said the Board did not even review the tape showing Mammie’s foul. The decision was made in the same meeting where the Board meted out a one-game suspension on Ateneo coach Bo Perasol and banned La Salle supporter Jonathan Atayde from watching any UAAP game the rest of the season.

Coach Juno Sauler said the Archers prepared for the UE game on the presumption that Mammie wouldn’t play. La Salle went on to beat UE, 75-65, in overtime despite Mammie’s 11 points and 20 rebounds, including 10 offensive, in 34 minutes. UE led the entire game until the last 13 seconds of regulation and was outscored, 19-9, in extension.

Mammie, Perasol and Atayde were never summoned to appear before the Board, meaning the decisions involving them, whether favorable or not, were made without due process.

The UAAP Board has come under fire lately because of decisions that some quarters suspect to be tainted by partiality. Two temporary restraining orders (TROs) have so far been served against the Board by the court to allow disqualified athletes to compete in the league. Sen. Pia Cayetano is reportedly supporting efforts to question the legality of some of the Board’s decisions which may be in violation of human rights.

A TRO that was issued a few days ago involved a swimmer banned for two years from competing for her new school UP after moving from UST high school. Under league rules, an athlete transferring from a high school of an UAAP member to a college of another UAAP member without release is required to take two years of residency. The previous rule stipulated only one year. Before this season began, the UAAP Board voted to extend the residency to two years. The usual practice is in cases of implementing policy changes, new rules are made effective after one season. But the UAAP Board decided to make the two-year residency rule effective immediately to stall FEU high school player Koko Pingoy’s eligibility to compete for the Ateneo seniors varsity. The Board also decided to impose a new rule on foreign players to establish a two-year residency in the school they will play for in another move effective immediately.

The TRO involving the UP swimmer, however, may not make a difference as it only reverts to the status quo before the new rule on the two-year residency was implemented. The previous rule was to serve a one-year residency without a high school release. So in the case of the UP swimmer, she will be required to establish a one-year residency, meaning no eligibility to compete this season, with the TRO. Residency will not be required if an athlete obtains a high school release. A Board meeting is set next week to take up the swimmer’s case. A source said the Board may allow the swimmer to compete in deference to the court order even if the status quo is reverted. If the Board clears the swimmer, it will set a dangerous precedent for any ineligible athlete to seek court redress against the league.