Ni Edwin Rollon
UMAYOS kayo o iiwan namin kayo.
Ito ang diretsahang ipinahayag ni Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascariñas sa sulat na ipinadala sa pamunuan ng VisMin Pilipinas Super Cup bilang pagpapahayag ng pagkadismaya sa aksyon ng mga players sa laro sa pagitan ng ARQ Builders-Lapu Lapu City at Siquijor Mystics nitong Miyerkoles.
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"We have supported and lent our name to the league because we sincerely believed in your noble objective to provide a livelihood to deserving and promising basketball players amid the pandemic. We believed that the players have been blessed with a new and, currently, the only active league. We also believed that this will help rally and boost the nation’s morale in these difficult times," pahayag ni Mascariñas sa sulat kay VisMin Cup Chief Executive Officer Rocky Chan.
"In view of the foregoing, we demand that a full and detailed disclosure be made to our company and the public by the league and the teams involved in the conduct and results of their joint investigation with the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) on the aforementioned incident," aniya.
"We also demand that the League swiftly impose sanctions against all erring parties, as may be warranted by the rules and the evidence. If the league fails to do so, Mascariñas and Chooks-to-Go will not hesitate in pulling the plug on its support for the upstart league.
"Through this letter, we are serving notice in good faith that our company willfully and forthwith disengage from our partnership with the league if the abovementioned demands are not met," sambit ni Mascariñas.
"We believe that our demands are necessary, reasonable, fair, and just, not only to protect our company’s reputation but also the integrity of the league, the interest of our professional players, the loyalty of our avid fans, and the respect and love of the entire nation for Philippine basketball as a whole.
"We trust in your full understanding and immediate action."
"As Title Sponsor of the Inaugural Conference of the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup, Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. (BAVI) and its flagship brand Chooks-to-Go gave the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup our full support because of our shared advocacy for Philippine basketball. However, we have witnessed with deeply disturbing concern how the quality and integrity of the games in the league have plunged steeply in just a week’s run," pahayag ni Mascariñas sa sulat kay VisMin Cup Chief Executive Officer Rocky Chan.
"We just saw the obvious lack of passion and determination to play their best and win among the players in the match today between professional teams from Siquijor and Lapu-Lapu City. The level of performance on both sides was deplorable beyond belief and, unless explained otherwise, amounts to a willful lack of professionalism. And this is only, to say the least," the sports patron who has backed other regional leagues like the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League and National Basketball League-Pilipinas continued.
"As a result, unflattering speculations are now circulating among viewers about the motives for such wanton neglect of all known rules and standards on professional basketball games the public has come to expect, and demand. To be blunt, suspicions of game-fixing, illegal activities, and a deliberate effort to defraud the league’s fans, patrons and supporters are now gaining currency. Unless strong action is taken, the damage the aforementioned match is causing to the image of Philippine basketball would be incalculable. To the league, it may be fatal."
Naging kontrobersyal ang laro nang tahasang batikusin sa social media, kabilang na ang ilang basketball personalities ang anila’y tila sadyang hindi pagbuslo sa simpopeng layup at libreng tira, habang isang player ng ARQ ang tumira sa free throw na gamit ang magkabilang kamay na pawang sablay. Natapos ang halftime nglaro sa 27-13, ngunit hindi na itiuloy ng liga ang laro matapos magkaroon ng power interruption sa venue. Natuloy naman ang dalawang laro na nakatakda sa gabi.
Hindi na bago kay Mascarinas ang magbigay ng suporta sa sports. Itinatag niya ang unang 3x3 pro league na Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3, habang title sponsors din sa bagong professional league na National Basketball League (NBL) at Women’s National Basketball (WNBL).
