It was a heated Sunday night in Moalboal as players of the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) and the University of Cebu (UC) got into a fistfight right after their game in the Mayor Inocentes Cabaron Inter-Collegiate Basketball Tournament at the Moalboal Municipal Gym.
According to the police’s spot report of the free-for-all, the brawl stemmed from a late-game foul that was committed on UC guard Joseph Arth Nalos, which saw him get bloodied. After the game—which UC won 60-57—Nalos’ father allegedly confronted CIT-U guard Kobe Palencia and coach Edsel Vallena regarding the untoward incident. Not long after, heated words suddenly became fists flying, sparking a brouhaha.
When the dust settled, numerous individuals suffered injuries and were brought to the Badian District Hospital for treatment.
Organizers of the said tournament bemoaned the violent incident, saying it has no place in the world of sports. In addition, the organizers relayed they will be sending a report to the office of Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy, who will review the incident and hand down appropriate sanctions if necessary.
“The Moalboal sports committee condemns in the strongest terms the violence that erupted after the University of Cebu vs. Cebu Institute of Technology game last April 23, 2023. We share the view of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) that violence has no place in sports. We have coordinated with Cesafi commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy and we will submit our own report of the incident, along with the spot report from the Moalboal PNP,” the tournament organizers said in a statement.
“Since this is a Cesafi-sanctioned pre-season tournament, we will defer to the wisdom of the league regarding the sanctions on those involved. Rest assured, we will enhance our security measures to avoid post-game incidents,” the statement added.
In an unrelated incident, the first game between the University of the Visayas (UV) and University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) also had its fair share of fireworks as the latter’s new head coach Melo Banua allegedly challenged the former’s head coach Gary Cortes to a fistfight in the first half of the Green Lancers’ 88-64 win.
Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, preventing the situation from escalating further.
At 3-0, UV is now assured of a spot in the finals and a shot at the P200,000 top prize.