‘Frustrated’ Basilan denies asking MPBL and BAVI to pay hotel expenses

MANILA, Philippines – Basilan Steel’s management made clear Monday that they did not ask the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) or its sponsor, Chooks-to-Go, to pay for the expenses they incurred during their stay. in the Subic. Hotel Bay Peninsular.

Basilan was forced to give up his life and death game against Davao Occidental in the South Division finals after four of his players tested positive for COVID-19 in the MPBL bubble in Subic Bay.

It was a decision that did not sit well with the team’s management, who said in a statement that they were “sacrificed” for the sake of finishing the MPBL Lakan Cup. Davao Occidental won the championship, beating San Juan in four games.

According to Matthew David, CEO of Basilan Steel, they decided to let the members of their delegation who returned the negative tests return home on March 16, the same day the MPBL announced the loss of the game against Davao. The first group went home the next day after obtaining permits from their respective local government units.

The remaining members of the Basilan delegation left the hotel on March 18. David told ABS-CBN News that they paid the hotel P200,000 out of a bill for P655,000, with the agreement that the balance will be settled on Thursday. March 24th.

“You don’t need any request for payment or urgency,” David said. “That’s why we were surprised to see all these articles claiming that the efforts of Senator (Manny) Pacquiao and Chooks-to-Go were the reason (Basilan) came out (of the bubble).”

In a statement Sunday, Chooks-to-Go announced that, along with Pacquiao, they have assumed the cost of Basilan’s stay at the Subic Bay Peninsular Hotel. This came after a meeting between the president of Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. (BAVI), Ronald Mascariñas, Pacquiao, the founder of MPBL, and league commissioner Kenneth Duremdes.

“At the end of the day, Councilman Hegem Furigay and Basilan remain our partners in the league who brought us countless memories during the Lakan season. It’s a shame they had to give up their game, but it’s the protocols given to the league by the Health Department, ”Mascariñas said.

“For our part, as a staunch partner and sponsor of the MPBL, we are assuming the cost of Basilan’s stay in the Subic Bay Peninsular.”

Pacquiao, in the same statement, was quoted as saying: “For Basilan, I hope this shows that the MPBL, Chooks-to-Go and I are committed to each team despite the situation that we have been given.”

A statement, provided to ABS-CBN News by Basilan Steel Atty’s legal counsel. Vladimir T. Jiménez made it clear that the team “did not ask MPBL management or its sponsor to pay our impending hotel bills.”

“In fact, Basilan Steel has entered into a contract with Subic Bay Peninsular regarding our stay at said hotel. We have paid the initial deposit or advance at the time or prior to our stay at the hotel,” Jiménez said.

“In addition, after MPBL unceremoniously sent us home, our team, through their representative, made a promise to settle the balance or unpaid bills with the hotel on March 24, 2021, which at the time of writing this item is not yet due or enforceable. “

For David, the situation only made them “more agitated and frustrated.”

He insists that “no one asked them to pay, but they did.”

“They paid the hotel 455,000 pesos. This payment without our knowledge only added insult to injury,” he said. “They should have asked us to pay for the hotel management. Because we were the ones who signed the agreement, not MPBL or Chooks-to-Go.”

The copy of the agreement with the hotel was signed by Basilan Steel coach Jerson Cabiltes, stating that the remaining balance amounting to P455,535 will be paid on March 24. The agreement was signed on March 19.

David and Basilan Steel are upset by what they perceive as the MPBL’s effort to “save face” after the confusion regarding their loss of the game and questions raised regarding their protocols.

“It was thanks to our efforts that (the team) came out of there,” David emphasized. “Not them. That’s why we wanted to clear things up.”

“The MPBL made no effort to help initially,” he added. “They’re just doing this to save face, and it made us feel more agitated and frustrated than before.”

“We have requested that the hotel comply with the agreement and return the check that was paid on Saturday March 20 to Bounty Agro Ventures (Chooks-to-Go),” David also confirmed.

Basilan Steel’s owner, Hegem Furigay, has previously demanded reimbursement of his expenses. David made it clear that his expenses are more than the amount incurred for his hotel stay.

“If they give it, that’s fine,” he said. “If they don’t, it’s okay pa din.”

Meanwhile, Mayor Julz Hataman of Basilan has demanded “full responsibility” from MPBL officials, “to salvage whatever remains of the league’s credibility and integrity.”

Hataman stressed that they remain “disappointed by an unfair decision” that prevented Basilan Steel from playing in the game of life and death against Davao Occidental. According to Jiménez, they had 12 players available to play against the Tigers, all of whom tested negative for COVID-19.

When asked what the current situation means for Basilan Steel’s status in the MPBL, David said: “We are considering a withdrawal, but it is too early to say.”

FROM THE FILES: