PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial lowered the boon and fined Magnolia’s mercurial star Calvin Abueva P100,000 for making a mocking gesture at San Miguel Beer coach Jorge Gallent in Game 2 of the Commissioner’s Cup best-of-7 finals duel last Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Under league rules, “any person who offends the dignity of any person on account of ‘physical disability’ shall be subject to a fine not lower than P 100,000.”
The incident happened at the 9:52 mark of the fourth quarter.
In full view of the public, Abueva made a gesture mocking Gallent’s eye disability.
The Hotshots forward, who got away from a ban, told Marcial he apologized to Gallent later that night, which the Beermen strategist accepted.
Abueva appeared yesterday at the PBA Commissioner’s Office in Libis, Quezon City after he and SMB big man Mo Tautuaa were summoned by the pro league chief regarding the shouting incident that transpired after the second game of the Big Dance.
The two arrived shortly past lunch. After the conference with Marcial, the two were given some time alone in the room to talk things over.
Marcial said the two settled the issue.
“Abueva apologized to the PBA and to Tautuaa and his wife. Nagkausap at nagkaayos na sila,” he said, adding he warned the two that a repetition of such an incident would be dealt with a heavier penalty.
Abueva denied he smirked at Aida Tautuaa and said it was Mo’s spouse who was disrespectful when he was on his way out of the venue.
Cooler heads prevailed as security personnel and members of both teams stepped in.
Then playing for Phoenix Super LPG, Abueva was suspended in 2019 for hitting former TNT import Terrence Jones with a nasty clothesline and for making lewd gestures and comments to the girlfriend of former Blackwater star Bobby Ray Parks Jr.
Just after his suspension took effect, Abueva’s wife Sam also accused him of physical and sexual abuse.
Abueva’s license was also revoked but was reinstated when his indefinite ban was lifted in the middle of the Philippine Cup bubble in Clark in 2020.
Incidentally, Abueva turned 36 three nights back.
