Pao Javelona and Noy Baclao have distanced themselves from the controversy surrounding the expelled Bacolod MassKara franchise after the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League’s statistics database mistakenly continued to identify them as the team’s head coach and assistant coach.

The error came to light following the MPBL’s decision to cancel the remainder of Bacolod’s 2026 campaign and permanently ban several of its players and coaches after issuing Red Cards amid an ongoing investigation into alleged game manipulation.

According to sources, the league’s statistics team failed to update its database, leaving Javelona and Baclao listed as members of Bacolod’s coaching staff despite no longer being connected with the franchise.

The current coaching staff is headed by Lency Aransazo, with Leo Mampusti, Ted Alamarez, Aldrich Lopez, and Bong Sangalang serving as his assistants.

Javelona and Baclao last handled the Bacolod franchise during the 2025 season, when the team competed under the Tubo Slashers banner. They have had no involvement with the club’s operations or coaching staff this year.

“I feel compelled to speak up because my name and Noy Baclao have been dragged into the controversy surrounding the Bacolod vs. Bulacan game,” Javelona said. “I built my name with integrity and hard work, not only to be dragged like this.

“To avoid any misunderstanding, I want to clarify that we have no involvement or connection whatsoever with this year’s Bacolod team. We had the privilege to serve as head coach and assistant coach last season only and have not been part of the team’s decisions or operations this year.”

Javelona added that beyond clearing his name, he was saddened to see Bacolod’s reputation tarnished.

“What saddens me the most is not only the mention of my name, but also seeing the name of Bacolod being placed in such a negative light. As someone who proudly calls this city home, it’s heartbreaking to witness. Bacolod has so many talented homegrown players who have worked tirelessly and deserve the opportunity to represent our city with honor and pride. They deserve to be recognized for their talent, and not have their dreams overshadowed by controversy,” he continued.

“I sincerely hope the truth comes out and that the focus returns to what truly matters, the integrity of the game and giving deserving athletes the opportunity to proudly wear the name of Bacolod.”

Baclao likewise called out the use of their names in the league’s official records.

“I want to make this very CLEAR. Pao Javelona and I have absolutely nothing to do with the BACOLOD MASKARA team. We were never part of their coaching staff, and we don’t even know who is actually handling it. Kahit anino ng nasa management and players hindi ko nakita. So how did our names end up in an official MPBL RECORD?” rued Baclao.

“Names are not something that should be used without our knowledge or consent. We worked hard to build our credibility and reputation not just in basketball, and it’s unacceptable to be associated with the team na hindi naman kami involved. An official league record should be accurate and verified hindi lang to basta basta box score error.”

The clarification follows one of the biggest scandals in MPBL history.

The league recently removed the MassKara from the remainder of the 2026 season after issuing Red Cards that carry lifetime bans to several members of the franchise as part of its investigation into alleged game manipulation.

Bacolod finished with a league-worst 3-19 record at the time of its expulsion and came under heavy scrutiny following several lopsided defeats, including a controversial 100-64 loss to the Bulacan Kuyas in which the team went scoreless for most of the fourth quarter, as well as an MPBL-record 84-point defeat to the Abra Solid North Weavers.

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Gilas Pilipinas Boys will compete for third place in the 2026 B.League Under-16 Challenge Cup after finishing with a 2-1 record in the pool stage at Sumida City Gymnasium in Tokyo.

The Filipinos placed second in Group A after opening their campaign with a 91-81 victory over Chiba on Tuesday. They then suffered a 73-66 loss to Ryukyu before closing out pool play with a dominant 105-79 rout of Tachikawa on Wednesday.

Gilas will face Fukuoka in the battle for third on Thursday.

La Salle Green Hills standout Sam Esomchi has been the team’s top performer, averaging 19.3 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks through three games.

Esomchi starred in the win over Chiba with 23 points, 19 rebounds, and two blocks, while Dwayne Madrigal and Lawrence Copia chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Against Ryukyu, however, Gilas trailed for all but the opening 10 seconds and fell behind by as many as 13 points before halftime.

Esomchi and Brielle Salazar sparked a second-half rally, but the Filipinos were unable to overcome the hot shooting of Eiji Oshiro, who scored 36 points, and Yuito Kawamitsu, who added 26.

Gilas responded with a balanced offensive performance against the Dice, with six players finishing in double figures.

Copia led the way with 19 points, followed by Zap Ong with 17, Jayson Mercado with 15, Josh Saga with 14, while Esomchi and Salazar contributed 12 points each.

FEU-Diliman captured the tournament championship in last year’s edition.

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National University survived a late scare from the Malaysia Select Team, escaping with an 81-78 victory to open its 2026 BLIA Cup campaign on Wednesday at Kaohsiung Arena in Taiwan.

The Lady Bulldogs, who finished runners-up in last year’s tournament after falling to Japan Women’s College of Physical Education in the final, leaned on clutch free throws from Tin Cayabyab and a game-saving defensive play by Zaydhen Rosano to secure the win.

NU appeared to be in complete control after building a 73-60 lead with seven minutes remaining and extending it to 79-72 with 1:15 left.

Malaysia, however, mounted a furious rally. Khalidah Kamaludin knocked down a three-pointer with 47.7 seconds remaining to trim the deficit to 79-76 before a NU turnover led to a Tan Sin Jie layup that cut the lead to just one, 79-78, with 21.6 seconds left.

Cayabyab then calmly sank two free throws after drawing a foul from Kamaludin, restoring NU’s three-point cushion at 81-78.

Following a timeout, Rosano came up with the defensive play of the game, anticipating and stealing Tan Sin Jie’s inbound pass before dribbling out the remaining time to preserve the Lady Bulldogs’ opening-day victory.

Cielo Pagdulagan paced NU with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field.

Rosano added 15 points, four rebounds, two assists, and three steals, while Cayabyab finished with 16 points on a perfect 6-of-6 clip from the free-throw line to go along with six rebounds.

Ann Pingol chipped in nine points and eight rebounds.

Tan Sin Jie led the Malaysia Select Team with 16 points.

NU will face National Taiwan Normal University on Thursday.

The top two teams in each pool will advance to the crossover semifinals.

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