GAB suspends Mindanao leg of Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup

The Games and Amusement Board (GAB) has suspended the Mindanao leg of Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup and at the same time placed the entire league up for reevaluation in light of the game-fixing controversy during a Visayas leg game featuring Siquijor and Lapu-Lapu City.

“The Games and Amusements Board today suspended the Mindanao leg of the VisMin cup and put the league for re-evaluation,” said GAB chairman Baham Mitra. “We are in the process of investigation and seriously looking into the allegations of wrongdoing. The board would like to further observe the ongoing Visayas leg before giving a go-signal for the other.”

The Mindanao leg of the newly-launched regional league was scheduled to start next month.

The Visayas leg, which is being held in Alcantara, Cebu, has been reduced to five teams after the expulsion of Siquijor.

Tournament format calls for the top two teams of the two legs to clash in a crossover playoffs to determine the Super Cup champion. The plan, however, is on hold pending the investigation of GAB’s on-ground personnel inside the ‘bubble’ in Cebu.

“GAB is reviewing the official reports of its field officers in the bubble and that of the league to determine the administrative liability of the licensees as well as the possibility of proceeding with criminal charges if warranted by circumstances,” said Mitra.

“Our mandate is to ensure the integrity of professional sports/welfare of players and were doing just that.”

On Sunday, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio expressed his full support for GAB and its re-evaluation of the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup.

“The SBP expresses its support to GAB in its moves to get to the truth and accordingly penalize those who committed this great injustice to all basketball stakeholders, including corporate sponsors who go out of their way to invest financial resources to support and propagate the sport at the grassroots level.”