Complaint filed vs. Ateneo for fielding ineligible player- inboundpass.com

Complaint filed vs. Ateneo for fielding ineligible playerby inboundpass

ATENEO de Manila University, despite booking a seat in this year’s UAAP Season 72 Finals, is in hot water as it may have used an ineligible player the past three seasons, including its championship run last year. This controversy could lead to possible sanctions from the UAAP.
Atty. Levito Baligod filed a complaint with the UAAP board on Tuesday, alleging that Jobe Nkemakolam was not qualified to enter college. Attached to the complaint was substantive documentary proof that Nkemakolam was not eligible to be admitted to the tertiary [or college] level.

Baligod presented a slew of evidence such as a certification from the Commission on Higher Education dated September 3 stating that Nkemakolam “has not met the academic requirements to graduate from high school, hence, he is not qualified for admission to college.” The document was signed by Lilian B. Enriquez, Officer-in-Charge, Director III.

Baligod said he discovered the information by accident while pursuing a background check on Nkemakolam. The lawyer also disclosed that his client is Dr. Mylene Santos, who confirmed that her daughter is bearing a child that the ex-Blue Eagle fathered.

Nkemakolam, on record, was stated to have attended high school at Reedley International School before joining Ateneo in 2003. However, Baligod said, “Reedley even disputes that Jobe graduated from their institution.” He further added that “it’s now incumbent upon [the] UAAP to verify or validate the basis of Ateneo in claiming that Jobe had graduated from Reedley, when in fact Reedley has no record.”

Aside from the CHED certificate, Baligod also presented a certificate from Reedley issued to the Department of Education dated July 9, 2009 verifying that Nkemakolam attended Reedley for two years, Grade 10 (2002-03) and Grade 11 (2003-04). However, no record stating attendance in Grade 12, the equivalent of fourth year high school, was available.

The letter of complaint, as forwarded to the UAAP [a copy of which was obtained by inboundpass], was given to UAAP Board President Anton Montinola of Far Eastern University, this year’s UAAP host. Montinola was not available for comment.

Ricky Palou, Ateneo’s representative to the UAAP Board, released a statement saying, “as far as we know, as far as we are concerned, Jobe graduated from Reedley. They can even check with Reedley. Obviously, some parties are out there trying to discredit us.”

UAAP Board members who did not want to be identified had various reactions to the issue. One said that “the complaint is worth looking into,” while a fellow member commented that “if this is substantiated, if it’s beyond reasonable doubt, this is very serious.”

The league is no stranger to such controversy. De La Salle was suspended for one year and returned its 2004 championship and 2005 runner-up trophies for the two years it fielded ineligible players. The two players, Mark Benitez and Tim Gatchalian, were found to have fake PEP Test results.

Marc Barroca’s Official Statement – according to DZSR 918 Sports Radio

Marc Barroca’s Official Statement – according to DZSR 918 Sports Radio
Got this tweet from @donbonscoforum as he Re-Tweeted the release from @hoopstalk918 which i know is a radio sports talk show on Sports Radio 918am. I’ll take it as it is as I have worked with DZSR before and they are a highly credible organization.
So here is Marc Barroca’s Official Statement verbatim -

AKO PO AY LUBOS NA NALULUNKOT SAPAGKAT HINDI NA AKO MAKAKAPAGLARO SA FEU AT SA UAAP, GANOON PA MAN, NIRERESPETO KO PA ANG DESISYON NG FEU PARA SA SABI PO NILANG KAPAKANAN NG TEAM AT NG UNIBERSIDAD. NAIS KO LANG PO NA MALAMAN NG LAHAT NA MALINIS ANG KONSYENSA KO AT WALA PO AKONG ALAM NA MALING GINAWA ETO PO ANG AKING MENSAHE

1. SA AKING MAHAL NA CAOCH AT MINAMAHAL NA TEAMATES, KUNG DI KO NAABOT ANG ANG INAASHAN NINYO SA AKIN

2. KAY SIR ANTON AT SA FEU, BIGYAN NYO PO AKO NG PAGKAKATAON TAPUSIN ANG AKING PAG-AARAL SA FEU BILANG SKOLAR, DAHIL ITO PO ANG AKING BANAL NA PANGAKO SA AKIN INA NUNG AKO PO AY LUMISAN SA ZAMOBANGA PARA MAKIPAGSAPALARAN SA MAYNILA.

3. SA SBP, BIGYAN NYO PO DIN AKO NG PAGKAKATAON NA MAGLARO SA SMART GILAS PILIPINAS PARA MAKAPAG-SILBI SA BAYAN. ITO LANG PO ANG AKING NINANAIS NGAYON AT SANA WAG NAMAN AKO PIGILAN NINO MAN.

4. GOODLUCK AT PRAYERS PO SA FEU SA NA IBINIGAY SA AKIN NG FEU NA MAKAPAGLARO SA UAAP, BILANG PAGTATAPOS, AKO PO AY 23 GULANG LAMAN, BUT I WILL AND MUST MOVE ON. MATATAG NAMAN ANG AKING KALOOBAN NGAYON, AT NANINIWAL AKO SA PAGSUBOK NA ITO AY MAGIGING MAS MABUTI AKONG PLAYER. HINDI PO AKO AAYAW, HINDI PO AKO TITIGIL MAG-SUMIKAP – MARC BARROCA

If you read into this, one would look at the guts of this kid to insist on finishing his studies at FEU. Would a guy who is guilty major wrongdoing have the guts and the face to still go to school and face ridicule? that up to you all to decide, to each his own interpretation with this situation.
I just want to share also this reply i got from someone who says knew Marc growing up in Zamboanga, you feel for his family now.
from clie -

hi , i am sad that one of my kababayan from zamboanga is in hot seat, i just want to share this short history how he learned basketball, Andy Barroca started as a running athlete, he is my kuyas playmate in our local barangay ,they use to laugh on how he plays kasi he is old na, when he learned playing hoops…Anyway according to my kuya it was his ability to run fast and eagerness to learn the game. Andy played in a muddy hoops area , until 12 noon.Just shooting, and learning. until he was discovered…It sad to know with all his efforts, to be in the league controversies arised.

His friends from ayala zamboanga city, his side car bicycle friends .Wearing his jersey…
This is another tale of , loss in the Uaap.
——————
All of you can judge all you want either way, you are all entitled to that. As for me, i still need to see solid evidence either way to give my full opinion on the matter.
For now what we know for sure is Barroca will no longer play for FEU. Period

What Will Happen to Andy Barroca?- Tony Atayde

What Will Happen To Andy Barroca?
by Tony L. Atayde2
For the last 3 years Far Eastern University has been plagued by doubtful events involving key players. First it was Gerilla, who was unceremoniously cut from the team after suspicions of unscrupulous behavior were discovered.
Last year, it was the unfortunate and dastardly shooting of Mac Baracael that shocked the entire league. Up to today, nothing and no one has been even slightly uncovered anything regarding this criminal act.
Now the case of Andy Barroca, a player who was expected to tear up the league especially after his tremendous showing during the Smart Gilas games, is the talk of the the Final Four. As of today, Barroca is not even sure if he will suit up for the Tamaraws for their Final Four game against UE.
Allegedly, there were very strong suspicions that Barroca was deliberately playing below his usual level in the last FEU game against Ateneo. FEU needed to win by 5 points to secure the no. 1 slot in the standings. After 3 and 1/3 quarters, FEU was up by 18 but collapsed and saw Ateneo steal the game and the no. 1 spot from them.
Apparently, the play of Barroca elicited suspicion from the FEU Management and Coaching Staff. He scored only 8 points and his lackluster performance; especially in the 4th quarter was not something that the coaching staff felt was something that was normal behavior for Barrroca.
Is the suspicion justified? Is Barroca getting the short end of the stick here? Did he really tone down his game and allow Ateneo to catch up and eventually win the game?
In all this, I believe that Barroca is being treated unfairly. If there is no solid proof of the allegations, then the suspicion is not enough. All players have bad games and this could have just been the case with him. He has steered the Tamaraws to the longest winning streak of the season and I don’t think one game can change that.
Besides, Barroca was not alone on the team. Cawaling, Ramos, Cervantes and Garcia were also responsible for letting that 18 point lead slip away. Why put the blame solely of Andy Barroca?
If the allegations are true, then it is the responsibility of the FEU management and coaching staff to obtain undeniable proof and if that is obtained, then he should be punished to the full extent of the law. It is sad to note that FEU has not even had the slightest progress in the Baracael incident, which almost cost him his life.
However, if these are all just suspicions, FEU will be destroying the future of this young man. Barroca has a bright basketball future ahead of him. He showed his ability to play international competition with Smart Gilas. Even foreign coaches and players were extremely impressed with him. He has a definite lucrative PBA spot awaiting him. However, all this could be lost if FEU decides to take him out of the team based on suspicions alone.
In fairness to FEU, they still have not made a decision on the matter and there are heavy deliberations on the actions to be taken. This situation is not easy for FEU and they have to do this in a fair and sober manner. I am sure Mr. Anton Montinola will decide in a fair manner regading Andy Barroca.
If these are all suspicions, his reputation will be forever tarnished and will always bring doubts to any team that may want his services. His whole basketball career is now in the balance. It is common knowledge that players suit up for the UAAP and the NCAA with the goal of making basketball their career. They don’t go to school to be engineers or accountants but rather go to school to show their wares and eventually end up in the PBA.
If the allegations against Barroca are true then it stands to logic that the gambling syndicate would be behind it. If this is true, then Barroca is more a victim than a culprit. After what happened to Baracael last year, who allegedly did not want any part of the gambling syndicate, Barroca may have feared for his life too. If the gambling syndicates were behind it, then Barroca is not the problem but the entire league is to blame for allowing this open secret to keep thriving.
I have always liked Barroca and I honestly do not believe that he would involve himself in game fixing. I hope that the FEU Management and Coaching Staff handle this matter fairly, after all, the future of a young man with so much potential is at stake.

Here's to Mark Barroca- Rick Olivares...

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Here's to Mark Barroca...
Several people asked me what I thought about the accusations that FEU's Mark Barroca has been throwing games. I answered every time out that I'd be really surprised if he does. And if he did, I'd be very cross at him.But I know that he doesn't and never will.He was on FEU's Team B with his current batch of teammates when their 2006 squad was blown up in the off season. That team was blown up because management felt it wasn't good enough to challenge for a title. It was deemed that the players on Team B were not only better than the UAAP team but ready to contend for a title in the years to come. It was only in 2007 when JR Gerilla was thrown off the team and Jeff Chan forever banished from the Morayta campus. And Barroca, like the others were there when Mac Baracael was nearly killed.Don't tell me that those lessons aren't learned. He is signed to Smart Gilas and Oracle. He knows he is set if he plays his cards right. While in Jakarta with the Smart Gilas team I was privy to one session where the players openly talked and teased one another about basketball; game fixing included. I thought that Mark gave a very passionate diatribe on shady dealings and being unhappy about losing. I thought it was rare for an athlete especially one who isn't very good at expressing himself to wax eloquent. And I respected him more for that.
He is so excited about the future. In fact, of the Tamaraws team, it is only him and Aldrech Ramos with a sterling class attendance record. He really wants to move up and learn. Before I packed my bags ahead of the team and left for Manila, he sought my advice because he wanted to ask his girlfriend togo to Corregidor. He wanted to know more about the island fortress from me. How he knew that I've been there twice I'll never know. I don't think he even goes here to Bleachers' Brew. The reason why he was very successful with Smart Gilas and Oracle is that he has the ball in his hands all the time. He plays lots of minutes and clearly wants the ball come crunch time. With FEU, it's another story. Glenn Capacio said prior to the start of the current season, he'd give the ball to RR Garcia while turning Barroca into a shooting guard. How many point guards do they have -- five or six? Barroca will never be the shooting guard that Ben Fernandez is. Plain and simple, iba yung laro.On a lighter note, Capacio also joked that he is the only one to be able to stop Barroca; something he jests about even in the presence of his prized guard.The truth is Barroca finds FEU's offense (even before the arrival of Garcia) to be restrictive. Having said that, he totally enjoys playing for Gilas. It's hard for him to be effective when the ball is in Garcia's hands. I've seen him play bad games for FEU, Oracle, and Gilas and he always bounces back. I've been inside their locker room and at their practice and have made many friends on their team. I may not know as much as the others but from what I know, it isn't so.At the start of the season, I was worried that he would suffer from fatigue. I even voiced that concern to their trainer on several occasions. During the summer, he was playing and practicing for FEU, Oracle, and Gilas. I wondered if he would one day collapse from exhaustion. In Jakarta, after matches his arm would be real sore. In fact prior to one game, he couldn't lift his arms because they were leaden. One time an opponent from Kuwait took a shot at him. He was already in pain yet he was taking shots from a guy he can twist like a pretzel six ways 'til Sunday without breaking a sweat. Obviously binawian niya ng mas matindi (it almost sparked a rumble). Siya rin yung tinitira ng kalaban and they geared their defense to stopping him.I understand that FEU officials are meeting right now -- around noon time of this post -- to deliberate on his case. If this is true (and I know he has not admitted to anything) then it's really disappointing. But this Tamaraws team are like brothers having been together solidly for three years now. I know that JR Cawaling is upset at the accusations hurled against his teammate. It's totally not fair.Like I said, I don't believe it and so do many others. If it does turn out to be true, then how crushing is that? He would be a great ham artist. I just hope this is resolved because this isn't simply one person's future but could also affect their program once more. I mean why would someone want to play for a school that blames players after they have a bad game? You should see that school in Taft. They're doing a good job of that.By the same token, players on other squads are reported to be doing some shady things. Even in Ateneo, over the years, there rumors of players (just a few mind you) who were throwing games. But they were just that. Rumors. Although some will say otherwise but never show a shred of evidence.Man, all this is making my head spin.

Good luck with it, Mark.
Posted by Rick Olivares

Ruselle Alinea's "It's all worth the wait"

I was intrigued with the "It's all worth the wait" article when i opened my fb account... From the title itself, felt like reading its content... bet then it was kinda long and kinda tiring to read so I thought i could just scan it and not read it fully... something made me stop, this made me stop: "And then there will be that one unexpected moment, that a special someone will come your way. Someone who will walk with you when everyone else walks out." says it all... this pinched my heart and then i have to go back to the very beginning to read it again... this time, the whole article... i've come to realize, its really not tiring at all but rather worth reading... and worth sharing... in the end, you will learn to appreciate your partner the more... enjoy!

As the saying goes, things happen for a reason. Well, it does. We may not realize it at first but eventually we'll understand that there will always be a reason behind everything. We may stumble or fall hard. We may get hurt. We may get bruised. But we will heal. So that we can rise up again and start over. And when you do start over, you'll learn that what had transpired is a part of what you will be in the future and trust me, It will all be worth it.

Just like any human being, we will all have a chance to fall in love. It will be the sweetest thing we'll feel. Our world may revolve around it. You'll think it will never end. But when it did, your world will just crumble, together with the hopes and dreams that come with it. The pain will be unbearable. The feeling of loneliness and self pity will be too much. We'll think it will never end. But it will.

And when it did, the hurt will just stop. The pain will just go away. Then you'll start to pick up the pieces of your broken self. And then you'll move on. And when you do, you'll feel lighter because all the baggages you carry will disappear. And the sun will shine again. Flowers will begin to bloom. The world that was once black and white will now start to have colors. You'll appreciate more the people around you. You'll notice that even the simplest things can give you joy. And most importantly you'll appreciate your self better and love the man above even more. And the realization that all that happened will just be an important part of your life and one big lesson learned.

And then there will be that one unexpected moment, that a special someone will come your way. Someone who will walk with you when everyone else walks out. Someone who will change his route so he can catch up on yours. Someone who sees you on your dirtiest and plainest self and still thinks you're the most beautiful woman. Someone who never gets tired of listening to your non stop rantings. Someone who watches you sleep and then will tell you in the morning that you look so peaceful and pretty even when you look in the mirror, and see your hair all tangled up and your eyes are both bulging out. Someone who cooks for you when your being picky on the food. Someone who will put socks on your feet when you are being lazy to do so. Someone who treats you right and respects you. Someone who adores you and appreciates you. That someone who has accepted you, the whole "YOU", without pretensions. That someone who is brave enough to go to battle to protect a country and fierce enough to stay away from the bullets so he can come home safe to you. That special someone who you know will love you longer than forever. All that and more he can give.

Don't we all wish we find that special someone? Well, I DID... I found that special someone I will be spending the rest of my life with. I tell you, it's all worth the wait. And it's all worth the experience. Because I know he's the right one for me.

Cervantes fills in big shoes for FEU

For providing the points needed for Far Eastern U to earn the second twice-to-beat advantage in the coming UAAP Season 72 Final Four, Reil Cervantes was chosen by the UAAP Press Corps as its Accel-Filoil Player of the Week.Cervantes, known more for his defense than offense, came up with a personal career-high 20 points to make up for the absence of big men Jaymo Equilos and Pipo Noundou and immensely help the Tams to a pivotal 71-69 overtime triumph over La Salle that gave them the second semifinal incentive. "Kulang kami ng mga malalaki kaya kailangan kong magstep-up," said the 21-year-old BS Sports Recreational Management student, who scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half, leading the FEU squad's comeback from an 11-point deficit that gave the Tams their first twice-to-beat incentive since winning the 2005 crown.

Reil Cervantes of FEU, right, makes his move during the Tams' recent game against the Adamson Falcons. Jeff Venancio Cervantes became the third consecutive FEU dribbler to earn the award after RR Garcia and juniors' star Terrence Romeo, who were cited by the association of reporters covering the collegiate league the past two weeks.Cervantes also helped the Tams win the match against De La Salle with a key defensive stop, swiping Joshua Webb's lay-up that could have sent the game into a second overtime. FEU's victory also gave the Tams the chance to earn the top spot, as they are now just a game behind defending champion Ateneo. The Tamaraws could earn the No. 1 spot if they beat the Blue Eagles by more than four points in their elimination-ending match this weekend.The victory was also FEU's seventh against the Green Archers in 12 face-offs.Cervantes was chosen for the weekly honor over teammates Aldrech Ramos and Garcia, University of the East's Paul Lee and Ateneo's Eric Salamat. - Perry Legaspi, GMANews.TV

Tams push Archers to edge

The FEU Tamaraws achieved one of their targets this season and made it sweeter by handing out some payback. Nearly one year after crashing out of the Final Four in UAAP Season 71 at the hands of De La Salle, the Tams pushed their tormentor at the brink of missing the semis for the first ever, winnning 71-69 in overtime.
DLSU started hot leading as much as 11 points in the first half but the Tams finally wrested the lead in the fourth quarter. However, FEU failed to close out DLSU in regulation despite leading by 6 points in the last two minutes. Archer Sam Marata converted a three-point shot with 7.9 remaining to send the game into overtime.
However, Reil Cervantes and RR Garcia made crucial baskets in the extra period but DLSU answered back to keep the Tams withing striking distance. Marata had another chance to send the game to a second overtime but missed a last second attempt and eventually award FEU one of the twice-to-beat slots in the Final Four. Cervantes and Garcia chipped in 20 and 18 points, respectively, while MVP contender Aldrech Ramos posted 10 points and a career-high 19 rebounds.
FEU also missed the services of big men Pipo Noundou and Jaymo Equilos due to injuries.
Coach Glenn Capacio was pleased in gaining the incentive but noted that maturity is still the key in order to go all the way to the championship.
“Sabi ko sa kanila wala nang madaling games dito, kailangan maging sharp kami sa endgame,” said Coach Glenn.

Box:
FEU 71 – Cervantes 20, Garcia 18, Ramos 10, Barroca 7, Cawaling 5, Vinluan 3, Tanuan 3, Sanga 3, Knuttel 2, Manalo 0, Caluag 0.
DLSU 69 – Bagatsing 12, Webb 11, Marata 10, Co 10, Andrada 7, Mendoza 6, Tolentino 4, Barua 4, Mangahas 3, Villanueva 2, Bringas 0, Banal 0.
Quarter scores: 11-15, 27-29, 44-49, 65-65, 71-69.

Final Destination 4

The Final Destination series is a series of horror films created by James Wong, Glen Morgan and Jeffrey Reddick. Distributed by New Line Cinema, the films are centered on the themes of determinism, predestination, and precognition, in relation to death (i.e. how to foresee, avoid or control it). In a more practical sense, each film portrays a series of elaborate, often gory death scenarios that can resemble Rube Goldberg machines in their complexity and convolutedness. The franchise has also spawned a related book series (published by Black Flame) and comic series (published by Zenescope Entertainment Inc).

The premise to both the film and book series about death is essentially the same: A group of people are gathered together at a venue, when suddenly a member of the group has a premonition of a disaster that will kill all of the people present. Horrified and motivated by the vision of impending doom, the person with the premonition then tries to prevent the incident by alerting the others. The other members have doubts of the incredible claims but the visionary is persistent, fracturing the group in hostile skeptics, dubious believers, or those that had no choice but to accompany the visionary. Soon afterward, disaster strikes as foreseen, proving to the survivors that the visionary was right, and their opinions change drastically.
Over the next few days, weeks or months, the same survivors begin to die in a series of horrific and often improbable accidents until the same visionary notices a pattern and concludes that, while surviving the initial disaster, they are still destined to die. The visionary usually teams up with another fellow survivor of the opposite sex, and they are determined to once again cheat death; then the same group devises various plans to survive that usually fail until the protagonist visionary finds a solution to their fate, having salvaged two or three of the others. By the end, however, most or all of the survivors are dead. In the subsequent movie, the previous survivors are revealed to be dead, or die in the film. For example: in Final Destination 2, Clear returns from the first film only to be killed later in the film.
However, each movie would leave a legacy for new generations of survivors, such as each disaster was noted by the news, paranormal fanatics, and survivors who notice the similarities within these incidents. The survivors of each sequel would use whatever they learned from these past disasters, or enlisting the aid of a survivor of a previous film, of delaying their inevitable fates.
In addition, the series touches upon the idea of a ripple effect. Midway through the second film, the protagonists learn that they have not only cheated Death through the premonition of the main character Kimberly; each of them also would have died previously but were diverted from their respective destinies by the alternate death events of the first film.

Cheating Death
A recurring theme in each film is the concept of truly defeating Death. Constant intervention proves to merely restart the list from the beginning. When someone saves the targeted person, death immediately moves on to the next person on the list. Once the list of Death's Design runs through, it returns to the beginning. A key element of the films is that the protagonists always think they have found a way to cheat death; for example in the second film, it is suggested that a child born of a survivor will break the pattern. However, the ending always implies that there is no way to indefinitely cheat death.
The films have yet to explain what is sending the protagonists the premonitions and more importantly why, as it seems it does no good to escape the particular accident only for the entity of death itself attack the survivors.