INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines—San Beda College’s bid for a third consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association title got a shot in the arm Monday after the league’s policy board granted the school’s appeal and allowed former juniors standout Elvin Jake Pascual to play in its 84th Season.

In overturning an earlier ruling by the NCAA management committee, policy board chair Reynaldo Vea of host Mapua Institute of Technology said the 6-foot-4 Pascual “did not knowingly violate NCAA rules” when he saw action for the Philippine Christian University Baby Dolphins in the 2006 season.

“We cannot say that he (Pascual) knowingly violated NCAA rules,” Vea said after emerging from a three-hour meeting at the ELJ Building in Quezon City.

Pascual was declared ineligible two seasons ago for “misrepresentation.” He enrolled as a junior in PCU, although he was already a fourth-year dropout from St. Rose Catholic School in Paniqui, Tarlac.

But the player, in an affidavit, insisted that he was instructed by then PCU juniors’ coach Bong Sales to drop out of fourth year and enroll as a junior.

“He (Pascual) was an unknowing pawn in the unpleasant controversy,” San Beda president Fr. Mateo De Jesus said in his June 18 appeal to the policy board.

Four other PCU players were found guilty of identity-switching and of falsification of public documents. The scam led to the school’s suspension from the NCAA last year and the Baby Dolphins were stripped off their 2006 title.

Pascual’s Most Valuable Player award was also returned to the NCAA.

Vea said the cases involving the four other former PCU players were “different.”

Henry Atayde, who headed the fact-finding committee in the PCU case and represented College of St. Benilde in the policy board meeting, said: “There were too many violations in the four other cases, from misrepresentation and falsification of public documents.”

San Beda coach Frankie Lim welcomed the decision of the policy board, which came five days before the Lions begin their “three-peat” quest against the Mapua Cardinals at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

“We are very happy,” Lim said. “Jake is instrumental to our championship bid.”