THE Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma management decided to cancel the scholarship granted to the nine players who were found to have tampered with their birth records, and is sending them to Mindanao.
“The school would like to thank the screening committee for uncovering this controversy before the start of the season. They saved us from the biggest shame and humiliation had we (SWU Baby Cobras) played our first game before the fraud was uncovered. We were deceived for sure. There was no intention on our part (to submit tampered records). For now, the school has stripped these players off their scholarships and we will send them to their respective homes,” SWU athletic director Ryan Aznar said in a press conference by the school yesterday.
However, the school is still conducting an investigation to uncover who the person behind the incident is.
“We will weed out his person from our organization. He has no place among us. He or they took advantage of our transition period, thinking that we will give less priority on our sports program and they succeeded but not from the expert eyes of the screening committee. We are not yet finished with our investigation. And if we will find out who this person is, we surely will deal with him, terminate his service and maybe file a case against him or them,” SWU legal counsel Atty. Godwin Maguinsay said.
SWU vice president for Student Life, Gilbert Magno Braganza has sent a letter to the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy commending and congratulating the screening committee for uncovering the fraud that saved the school from further embarrassment.
The Cesafi screening committee is chaired by Tiukinhoy and includes Dr. Danny Villadolid, deputy commissioner Danny Duran, Dioscoro Himotas, Lyle Larida and Babeth Erana-Capangpangan.
Maguinsay is also thankful for the full cooperation of the Coach Rey Lubguban on the investigation conducted by the school officials.
“On behalf of SWU, I would like to apologize to Cesafi and to the public for this incident. Rest assured, we will investigate this problem and we will act accordingly. We will endeavor to clean up our athletics program and make sure that there are no more incidents of inappropriate behavior, unethical practices, falsification, extortion or corruption. For Phinma education, integrity and professionalism are core values. Please give us some time to get our acts together and please let us know if you are aware of any other problems,” SWU chairman of the board Dr. Chito Salazar said in his press statement.
SWU however will be returning to the high school division competition but this time they will try to have a team that grew from their own program.
SWU right now is starting with the Small Basketeers (SBP) program and it hopes it the players can move up to the college level.
“Next year we will try to have a basketball team and recruit only eligible players. SWU is committed to develop a Junior Cobras basketball program and start a program as early as the elementary level,” said Atty. Maguinsay.
Aznar and Maguinsay also showed to the reporters the tampered records which seemed legitimate at first glance.
Cesafi meted Elber dela Cerna Catinggan, Reynaldo Obarco Jr., Mark Anthony Quilab, Andy Jones Turno and Edwin Abo-abo a lifetime ban from playing in the league.
Lubguban is also banned for life from coaching in any Cesafi school teams.
Four more players will get the sentences from the Cesafi today, but for SWU, its already moot and academic as they are sending these players home for good.