Manila, Philippines – Summons were served yesterday by the Philippine Basketball Association to six players who were involved in separate tune-up game incidents last Tuesday.
One after the other starting at 2 p.m., hours before San Mig Super Coffee and Talk ‘N Text were to take the floor for Game 4 of the PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals, San Miguel Beer’s Arwind Santos and June Mar Fajardo, Globalport’s Jondan Salvador, Meralco’s Gary David and Danny Ildefonso, and Alaska Milk import Bill Walker walked into the office of Commissioner Chito Salud to air their version of the scuffle.
Video footage and eyewitness accounts of the fracas – between the Beermen and the Batang Pier at the Acropolis gym, and involving the Aces and the Bolts
at the Meralco gym – are already in the possession of the PBA, sources said.
According to reports, Fajardo and Salvador went at each other in the heat of the moment, with Santos coming to his teammate’s aid.
Ildefonso, on the other hand, claimed he was punched in the stomach by Walker, prompting the Bolts center to swing back. The Aces import, according to accounts, then threw the ball at Ildefonso. As both players were restrained, David, reports said, came out of nowhere and landed a punch on Walker’s face. Flagrant 2 fouls were called on the erring players.
Alaska coach Luigi Trillo, according to the sports website Spin.ph, has urged the PBA to suspend David for his actions.
“This is not his fight. David came out of nowhere with a direct hit in the face (of Walker). He had a closed fist which landed for sure,” said Trillo. “The guy should be suspended accordingly.” (Tito S. Talao)