CITING the constitution and by-laws of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), league’s commissioner Sonny Barrios slapped Talk ‘N Text (TNT) on Tuesday a huge P1 million fine for walking out during a game.

Barrios had imposed the P500,000 fine, which shall be paid to Ginebra based on section 32 of the league’s by-laws, and another P500,000, to go to the Players’ Educational Trust Fund, benefiting PBA players and their dependents.

Talk ‘N Text had walked out during Game 4 of its quarterfinal match-up on Friday after a flagrant foul penalty 2 was called by the referee on Ranidel de Ocampo for hitting the driving Ronald Tubid with an elbow, a minute left before the end of first quarter.

The game was awarded to Ginebra via forfeiture, allowing them to tie the best-of-five series to 2-2 and to win Game 5, 113-100, last Sunday, which lead them to face Alaska in the best-of-seven Philippine Cup semifinals.

Barrios also said that TNT’s share in the gate receipts and TV revenues for that game, amounting from P200,000 to P250,000, has also been forfeited in favor of the nine other PBA ball clubs.

“There are established rules and procedures to properly ventilate a team’s disagreement with officiating so that the fans do not become innocent and unwilling victims of a team’s protest over calls,” Barrios said through a statement.

He said the PBA and its teams serve different publics, foremost of which is the watching public, who happens to be the lifeblood of the league and whose interest the league has sworn to protect and hold as primordial.

The Manila Times tried to contact Talk ‘N Text’s board representative Ricky Vargas for comments, but he was not available.

Business mogul Manny Pangilinan, the franchise owner of Talk ‘N Text and president of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), said that he has no regrets about walking out during that game.

“No. No regrets,” said Pangilinan, who did not comment regarding the fine slapped by the league. “It [walkout] was the right decision under the circumstances.”
Josef T. Ramos