THE referees who officiated the controversial play-in knockout game between the Cebu Greats and the Mindoro Tamaraws on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, have been suspended by the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Commissioner’s Office.
The decision came after it was confirmed that the referees failed to call a foul on a three-point shot attempt by Cebu Greats guard Jun Manzo, despite clear contact made by Mindoro forward RJ Ramirez during the crucial final seconds.
As a result, the Mindoro Tamaraws won the game 92–89 and secured the eighth and final spot in the Southern Division playoffs, while the Cebu Greats were eliminated.
The defeat deeply frustrated Cebu Greats officials, led by team manager Jhon Santos, who said the heartbreaking outcome was difficult to accept.
“Hindi kami ready na natapos yung season namin ng ganito. Sa totoo, para din kami tinamaan ng earthquake. Nag-iyakan sa dugout after ng game (We weren’t ready for our season to end like this. Honestly, it felt like we were also hit by an earthquake. Everyone was crying in the dugout after the game),” said Santos in a post-game interview.
“Pinaghirapan namin makarating sa part na yun. Grabe ang sacrifice nang mga players tapos tatapusin nila yung season namin ng ganun ganun lang (We worked so hard to get to that point. The players made huge sacrifices, and they’re just going to end our season like that)?” Santos added.
A day after the incident, the MPBL, in an internal memo obtained by this writer via email, stated:
“After a thorough review of the South Division play-in game between the Mindoro Tamaraws and the Cebu Greats on Oct. 6, 2025, the Technical Committee and the Commissioner’s Office found that the officiating referees failed to call a foul committed by Mindoro’s RJ Ramirez on Cebu’s Jun Manzo’s buzzer-beater jumper.”
“Since that three-point attempt was a probable game-changer, the final score being 92–89 in Mindoro’s favor, the referees are hereby slapped with indefinite suspensions effective immediately,” the memo further declared.
However, as of this writing, the memo still requires formal approval before it can be finalized.
This is not the first time the MPBL has suspended referees for officiating lapses.
A similar incident occurred in September 2019 during a game between Manila and Bicol.
In that matchup, Ronjay Buenafe attempted a three-point shot in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter and was allegedly fouled by Aris Dionisio, but the referees did not call it, resulting in a 76–73 win for Manila over Bicol.
However, unlike the Cebu–Mindoro match, that game was not a knockout contest.