By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Right after Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) commissioner Kenneth Duremdes released their latest memo regarding their eligibility if they play for professional leagues, five Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup hoopers had a change of heart and decided to leave the bubble to save their semi-pro eligibility.
VisMin Super Cup Chief Operating Officer Rocky Chan confirmed the development and disclosed that there were players who already left the Alcantara bubble.
The five players who left were JR Ongteco of the KCS-Mandaue City, Enrico Llanto and Edrian Lao of ARQ-Lapu Lapu City, and Tristan Albina and Jaymar Gimpayan of MJAS Zenith-Talisay.
Ongtengco will be suiting up for Team Bicol, Albina and Gimpayan for Valenzuela City, Llanto playing for Bataan, and Lao for Cebu.
Previously, MPBL advised in their memo “that any team or player who will participate in the forthcoming VisMin Super Cup Visayas leg or any other professional league shall be considered as professionals by the MPBL and therefore playing in future games, they will be considered as EX-PROS and thereby subject to the limitations set forth by the rules and by-laws of the league.”
According to the MPBL rule book, a team can only have a maximum of seven ex-professional players in their roster with five allowed to be activated per game.
Chan then added that Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, and Talisay will have the freedom to replace their players who left the bubble and will still be subject to swab test before entering the Alcantara premises.
