La Salle’s inquiry into the controversy that shocked not only the basketball community but also all the colleges and universities nationwide is said to be nearly finished, and La Salle officials are going to make it public anytime this week.
La Salle, however, don’t intend to reveal the name of the players although press reports have identified former Jose Rizal University students Mark Benitez and Tim Gatchalian as the ones who falsified their PEPTCR (Philippine Educational Placement Test Certificate Rating) in order to gain entry to La Salle and play in its varsity team.
Fr. Maximino D. Rendon, C.M., UAAP Season 68 president, made the reiteration in the wake of various opinion and statement which are coming out in the media as to the merit of the issues hounding the league, particularly De La Salle.
"As of the moment, statements issued by members of the UAAP are not the official stand or statement of the [UAAP] board," said Rendon, adding they only qualify as personal opinion of the sources.
The UAAP, Rendon explained, could only deliberate and act on the De La Salle players’ case the moment the board receives from the school involved the official result and recommendation of its (DLSU) investigation.
Only during the UAAP board meeting which is officially scheduled in the third week of November would there be a possibility of the board, acting as a collegial body, to make its statement or stand. This is because, according to Rendon, the board would have to thoroughly deliberate on the issue.
To date, the UAAP board finds no party or individual guilty or innocent pending the conduct of the board’s own comprehensive inquiry, which, Rendon again stressed, would have to be concurred upon by majority of the 16 members of the UAAP board.
Both Benitez and Gatchalian appeared separately before the panel formed by La Salle President Bro. Armin Luistro where they divulged everything according to a source privy to the investigation.
The panel appeared to have come into conclusion that the players could not have done it on their own and believes there were some people behind it.
The same source said that one team official who might have the knowledge about the bogus papers submitted by the players has already transferred to another school.
"We will not take this sitting down, but again, this has to be attended to with caution and sensibility because it’s the players’ academics that are being questioned," said Rendon.
The Department of Education (DepEd) has been the source of information on the reportedly spurious documents the De La Salle players possess thereby prompting the UAAP board not to act haphazardly on the matter.
"At the end of the day, we would like to see not only the UAAP but more importantly these players and De La Salle overcome the crisis," said Rendon.
"We maintain a stand on giving these student athletes the benefit of the doubt pending a thorough inquiry. We would not be jumping into conclusions as to who are guilty and who are not."
"But rest assured, the UAAP will be guided accordingly by the faith its members have to the Almighty and the integrity of the organization, which brought it to what it is right now."
