Post by grifter on Oct 19, 2005 9:43:23 GMT 7
DepEd confirms Inquirer report
DE LA Salle University confirmed yesterday the Inquirer’s exclusive report that two ineligible players were fielded during the Green Archers’ 2004 University Athletics Association of the Philippine (UAAP) championship run and pledged to expand its investigation to get to the bottom of the controversy.
The confirmation came after La Salle received a letter from the Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday stating that another member of the 2004 champion squad submitted falsified school records.
The letter came just as an investigative panel formed by the school was interviewing Mark Benitez, who finally came out in the open yesterday to air his side of the story.
Benitez was the first player identified as having submitted a fake Philippine Educational Placement Test Certificate (PEPTCR) to gain eligibility to the school and to the team.
The school refused to release details of the Benitez interview.
Again, La Salle did not disclose the second cager’s name.
But the statement also clarified the Inquirer report, saying that “the player is not in the active roster this season, but is currently enrolled.”
After the Inquirer broke the story on the second ineligible player last Sunday, however, Internet message boards tagged point guard Tim Gatchalian as the other player.
Gatchalian and Benitez both came from Jose Rizal University and suited up for the Archers in 2003 after undergoing a one-year residency.
“We are expanding the scope of the investigation to include this case,” said Lito Tanjuatco, a member of the four-man committee investigating the eligibility scandal.
The letter from the DepEd stated that another player’s PEPTCR “has turned out to be spurious.”
The statement added that La Salle received a letter from the DepEd on Aug. 18 that the document of yet another player “was still subject to verification.”
“DLSU reiterates its determination to get to the bottom of this case so we could institute appropriate remedies for the future,” the statement read.
The admission of the second player further gave rise to concerns that other parties were involved in facilitating the two players’ documents.
“I do not believe that these players concerned are capable of falsifying their own papers,” said UAAP technical committee chair Ricky Palou, who had earlier batted for an investigation of all the schools’ team rosters in the last 10 years.
Palou also said that “the [National Bureau of Investigation] should start looking into this because this is already a public document we are talking about.”
A source from a leading television station had earlier revealed that the parents of Benitez were ready to reveal the name of a former member of the La Salle coaching staff who facilitated the papers.
*courtesy of INQ7.net
DE LA Salle University confirmed yesterday the Inquirer’s exclusive report that two ineligible players were fielded during the Green Archers’ 2004 University Athletics Association of the Philippine (UAAP) championship run and pledged to expand its investigation to get to the bottom of the controversy.
The confirmation came after La Salle received a letter from the Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday stating that another member of the 2004 champion squad submitted falsified school records.
The letter came just as an investigative panel formed by the school was interviewing Mark Benitez, who finally came out in the open yesterday to air his side of the story.
Benitez was the first player identified as having submitted a fake Philippine Educational Placement Test Certificate (PEPTCR) to gain eligibility to the school and to the team.
The school refused to release details of the Benitez interview.
Again, La Salle did not disclose the second cager’s name.
But the statement also clarified the Inquirer report, saying that “the player is not in the active roster this season, but is currently enrolled.”
After the Inquirer broke the story on the second ineligible player last Sunday, however, Internet message boards tagged point guard Tim Gatchalian as the other player.
Gatchalian and Benitez both came from Jose Rizal University and suited up for the Archers in 2003 after undergoing a one-year residency.
“We are expanding the scope of the investigation to include this case,” said Lito Tanjuatco, a member of the four-man committee investigating the eligibility scandal.
The letter from the DepEd stated that another player’s PEPTCR “has turned out to be spurious.”
The statement added that La Salle received a letter from the DepEd on Aug. 18 that the document of yet another player “was still subject to verification.”
“DLSU reiterates its determination to get to the bottom of this case so we could institute appropriate remedies for the future,” the statement read.
The admission of the second player further gave rise to concerns that other parties were involved in facilitating the two players’ documents.
“I do not believe that these players concerned are capable of falsifying their own papers,” said UAAP technical committee chair Ricky Palou, who had earlier batted for an investigation of all the schools’ team rosters in the last 10 years.
Palou also said that “the [National Bureau of Investigation] should start looking into this because this is already a public document we are talking about.”
A source from a leading television station had earlier revealed that the parents of Benitez were ready to reveal the name of a former member of the La Salle coaching staff who facilitated the papers.
*courtesy of INQ7.net
