BACOLOD CITY — Amid Mayor Greg Gasataya’s push for accountability, the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) has revoked the professional licenses of five of nine players from the now-defunct Bacolod MassKara team of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and permanently disqualified them from participating in professional basketball games sanctioned by the board.
The sanctions stem from GAB’s investigation after Mayor Gasataya sought a probe into the July 28, 2026, MPBL game between Bacolod MassKara and the Bulacan Kuyas, which ended with Bulacan winning, 100-64. The game drew scrutiny after Bacolod went scoreless during the final 7:48 of the fourth quarter.
The team also committed several turnovers and missed scoring opportunities during the closing minutes, prompting allegations of possible game manipulation.
In its September 16, 2026, decision, the GAB Professional Sports and Games Division found five respondents liable for conduct unbecoming of professional athletes and imposed the corresponding sanctions.
A copy of the decision was furnished to the Office of Mayor Gasataya on September 21, 2026. “Evidently, there is sufficient proof that respondents who were fielded in court for majority, if not the entire time under consideration and were the principal actors therein, failed to exhibit the level of professional play expected from a licensee of the Board,” the decision stated.
The board, however, dismissed the charges against the four other respondents. The respondents who were cleared had denied allegations of game-fixing and reportedly attributed the team’s poor performance to factors including physical exhaustion, injuries, lack of practice and delayed salaries.
Gasataya also wrote the MPBL seeking clarification regarding the ownership of the Bacolod MassKara franchise and its authority to use the name “MassKara,” which is protected under Bacolod City Ordinance No. 1020, or the MassKara Cultural Property Rights Ordinance.
The ordinance recognizes the MassKara Festival and MassKara Dance as important cultural properties of Bacolod City and provides for the protection of the city’s cultural property rights over them.
“Again, we reiterate that the ‘MassKara’ name is a protected cultural trademark and a proud symbol of Bacolod City’s resilience,” Gasataya said in his letter addressed to the GAB and MPBL management.
The mayor called for accountability and transparency, saying that addressing the incident was important to protect the integrity of professional basketball, public trust in sports programs and the reputation of Bacolod City.
He also sought clarification on whether the team had properly coordinated with the city government regarding its use of Bacolod’s name and identity. The MPBL earlier removed Bacolod MassKara from the remainder of its 2026 season and imposed league sanctions following the controversial game. Gasataya stressed that accountability and transparency are necessary to protect the credibility of professional basketball and prevent Bacolod’s name and cultural identity from being associated with conduct that could undermine public trust.(BACOLOD CITY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE)
