WHAT is this alleged brouhaha on officiating that tended to mar Sunday’s Game Three of the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup?
It must be resolved quickly before matters worsen beyond repair.
Supposedly, referee’s calls—or miscalls—favored Magnolia, paving the way for the Pambansang Manok Hotshots’ 106-90 victory that cut TNT Tropang Giga’s lead to 2-1?
It’s a serious allegation that could dent the integrity of the best-of-seven championship series at the DHVSU Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
If heads will have to roll, let’s do it quick. We can’t afford to continue a championship showdown without having plugged the loopholes to the satisfaction of the protagonists.
Throw the book on the guilty before the first whistle is blown.
Impose next the necessary fines, suspensions. That way, hanky-panky is done away with professionally—and with honesty and bravery.
It is not hard to pin down the suspect. Technology is a true friend. TV cameras don’t lie. Replay the questionable call a thousand times and the result will be the same a thousand times: the culprit is as identifiable as Judas Iscariot the traitor.
Obviously, a major focus on the controversy would the perceived miscall on Quinton Brian Heruela, the 32-year-old Fil-Am guard with a one-year contract with TNT from a trade with San Miguel Beer.
Heruela was tagged for a foul against an enemy fire when it was clear as day that he was miles away while he was trying to deflect the shot.
That was a referee’s stinker that shouldn’t go unpunished.
While it’s true that we have three guys officiating every PBA game, a miscall (no-call?), such as in that Heruela case, can be easily resolved by pinning the blame on the referee nearest to where the action happened.
Let’s do it right, fellas, or we could go bust in our second bubble that’s been rolling on smoothly—until that Heruela boo-boo.
Wednesday’s Game Four should be a test if a wrong had been righted or not.
THAT’S IT It was more than redemption for Carlos Yulo as he bagged the vault gold and the silver in the parallel bars in the recent World Championships. Blanked in the Tokyo Olympics last July, Caloy’s gold-silver finish was likewise in keeping with his promise to his sister, Elaiza, that he’d win a gold medal as his birthday gift to her…Here’s praying for the speedy recovery of Robert “The Living Legend” Jaworski, who is battling a rare blood disorder…. My family’s condolences to the loved ones of Marc Castro, who succumbed to Covid-19 last weekend. Faith, his wife, requests prayers for Marc, who was our daughter Malaya’s classmate at JASMS elementary school in Quezon City.