• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya is seeking a congressional inquiry on commercial sports leagues that allow private franchises to use local government unit (LGU) names and cultural symbols without coordination.
The mayor’s call Aug. 3 comes in the wake of the July 28 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) match where the Bacolod MassKara team suffered a lopsided 100-64 loss to the Bulacan Kuyas.
The performance sparked widespread allegations of game-fixing, leading to the league’s decision to ban the players and coaches, and cancel the team’s remaining games.
“This brought shame to Bacolod because the perception of people outside, and even residents of Bacolod, is that the LGU has a role because of the name ‘Bacolod MassKara’,” Gasataya said.
“The (team) carried two very important names: Bacolod as an LGU and MassKara as our festival. They used both without any coordination with us. So, we are pushing for a congressional inquiry on the premise that there should be clear MPBL regulations when using the name of an LGU and its festival,” he explained.
Gasataya added that the franchise lacked homegrown Bacolod players and operated without any LGU involvement, noting that even the team’s former coach called him to clarify that he had no part in its current management.
“Whatever their internal problems are, that is for them to solve. What is important is to make it clear that the Bacolod LGU has no role in this,” he stressed. “That is why I am appealing to legislators to conduct a congressional inquiry, because this is not the first time that this has happened, and it brings shame to an LGU that has been working so hard to improve its sports program.” | TMD
