21 face raps over MPBL game fixing mess

FILE: NBI main office at Taft Avenue, Manila. (Photo By Tomenbang/Ursua/Villapando (Wikipedia Takes Manila participant) – Uploaded from Wikipedia Takes Manila, CC BY-SA 3.0)

MANILA — Criminal charges for game fixing and points shaving were filed on Tuesday against 21 persons by Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) commissioner Kenneth C. Duremdes before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

A total of 17 counts of betting, multiple counts of game-fixing and points shaving as defined and penalized under Section 1 and 3 of Presidential Decree (PD) 483 as amended by PD 1602 were filed against the respondents which included three Chinese nationals only identified through their aliases ‘Mr.

Sung’, ‘Kein’ and ‘Emma’.

Also named respondents were Soccskargen Marlins team owner Kevin Espinosa and players Sonny Uy, Serafin Matias, EJ Avila, Nino Dionisio, Ferdinand C. Melocoton, Nice Ilagan, Jake Diwa, Exequiel A. Biteng, Jerome E. Juanico, Matthew M. Bernabe, Julio A. Magbanua Jr., Abraham P. Santos, John Patrick C. Rabe, Ryan T. Regalado, Janus Lozada, Joshua Alcobe and Ricky Morillo.

The complaint said the cheating occurred from July to October.

MPBL founder, Senator Emmanuel Manny Pacquiao last week instructed Duremdes to suspend the whole Soccskargen team following the game-fixing allegations.