INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines—It could turn out to be the most fussed-about technical foul of the UAAP in years.

De La Salle University is set to elevate the technical foul slapped on its coaching staff for their failure to wear their IDs to the UAAP Board, but it refuses to say exactly what it wants from the board.

Bro. Bernie Oca, the DLSU representative to the UAAP Board, Tuesday night told the Philippine Daily Inquirer they will submit a letter to the Board on Wednesday but did not reveal what action the school is seeking.

Pressed for details, all Oca told the Inquirer was: “It’s not a protest letter.”

The clearest statement from the La Salle camp regarding the technical foul came from coach Franz Pumaren, who decried the technical foul after the match and said “I just want to know why the rule is selective.”

A source in the La Salle camp said the school will go as far as backing its letter with a video showing University of Santo Tomas’ coaching staff go unpunished despite committing the same infraction in their match versus University of the East at the Araneta Coliseum Saturday.

But Oca did not confirm the presence of such a documentary evidence.

Oca did stress that their letter will not question the outcome of Sunday’s game, which started with Eagles’ star Chris Tiu hitting a pair of free throws on that controversial technical foul and ended with Ateneo de Manila University on top, 77-71.

As far as Chito Narvasa, this year’s UAAP basketball tournament commissioner, is concerned, though, “the case is already closed” since it did not affect the outcome of the game.

But Pumaren asked: “How can it be closed when he has not addressed the issue?”

Narvasa said UAAP teams were informed about the strict implementation of the ID rule during the June 21 workshop at the Blue Eagle Gym, which he said La Salle was unable to attend.

Pumaren however said La Salle attended all UAAP meetings.

Narvasa also questioned why La Salle did not give him a copy of the photo showing UST coach Pido Jarencio without his ID during Saturday’s game. La Salle sent the photo to media outlets, including the Inquirer, last Monday.

Asked what the basis of the technical foul was, Narvasa did not make a categorical answer but said that “Anyone who understands basketball knows that you don’t get a technical foul because of that (not wearing IDs).”

He, however, refused to further comment on the matter.

“As much as possible, I want to discuss the case with the parties involved,” he added.