VisMin Super Cup expels Siquijor, suspends some of Lapu-Lapu's players following controversial match

The Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup on Thursday announced the expulsion of the Siquijor Mystics team from the league for the rest of the season, while some players from Lapu-Lapu City will also be suspended.

The announcement was made by league chief operating officer (COO) Rocky Chan.

Chan said they came to the decision yesterday after their technical committee's thorough review of the game, with the help of personnel from the Games and Amusements Board (GAB).

With Siquijor's expulsion, its players and coaches will not be allowed to join any activities of the league. Other teams will also be prohibited to acquire their services.

Siquijor’s roster includes former UAAP players like Ryan Buenafe and Gene Belleza. Other players on the team are Joshua Alcober, Vincent Tangcay, Jan Penaflor, Michael Calomot, Frederick Rodriguez, Jopet Quiro, Isagani Gooc, Miguel Castellano, Juan Aspiras, Peter Buenafe, and Michael Sereno.

Head coach Joel Palapal and his staff will also be expelled.

On the side of Lapu-Lapu, former PBA players Jercules Tangkay and Reed Juntilla and former UAAP players Monbert Arong and Dawn Ochea were among those suspended until the end of the first round of the tournament and fined P15,000 each.

Ferdinand Lusdoc was also suspended and fined the same amount while Rendell Senining was suspended for the rest of the season and slapped a P30,000 fine.

Lapu-Lapu coaches were also handed sanctions following the incident. Head coach Francis Auquico was suspended for the rest of the first round and fined P30,000, while members of coaching staff Jerry Abuyabor, Alex Cainglet, John Carlo Nuyles, Hamilton Tundag, and Roger Justin Potpot, were meted with a P20,000 fine each.

"This is a clear statement of the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup. Any deliberate actions by any of these teams or players is not tolerated in this league," Chan said.

The league COO also assured that this is an isolated case. According to Chan, they will also enforce a memorandum that any member teams doing the same action in the future will be fined P1-million, on top of expulsion from the league.

Chan also apologized for the incident. "We would also like to apologize to all our fans, sponsors, and the entire basketball community for this unfortunate incident. The goal of the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup is to serve as an inspiration for the youth in our region to play the game that we love the most," he said.

On Wednesday, the two teams engaged in a game that was cut short at halftime, with the score standing at 27-13, due to what was announced as a power outage. However, clips from the match circulated online later in the day showing players from both sides missing open layups and free throws.

The GAB then opened an investigation to look into the integrity of the game. —Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA News