Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 12) — The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Basketball Commissioner’s Office has suspended three referees for three weeks.
The collegiate league said on Thursday that the officials, whose names were withheld, received subpar grades in the quantitative evaluation of their performance during UAAP basketball games.
“We take the responsibility of providing competent and professional referees to the league very seriously, and it is essential that all officials maintain the highest level of integrity and accuracy,” Season 86 Basketball Commissioner Xavier Nunag said in a statement.
“The suspension is intended to give the referees the opportunity to reflect on their actions and to improve their performance,” he added.
However, a letter addressed to the UAAP Board of Managing Directors, where the names of the referees and the games they officiated were mentioned, is making the rounds on social media.
It stated that the three referees officiated the University of the Philippines-Far Eastern University, University of the East-Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle University-Adamson University games on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The officiating in the Ateneo-UE match was a hot topic among netizens due to the free throws disparity where the Blue Eagles shot 34 while the Red Warriors only had four attempts from the line.
The letter also read that the three suspended referees will not be officiating during the playoffs, Final Four, and finals games.
