All set for MVBA Visayas tiff

It's green and go for the kickoff of the five-team Visayas Division action of the ML Kwarta Padala Mindanao Visayas Basketball Association (MVBA) First Conference this Saturday at the Barba Sports Complex in Toledo City.

The lone match pit host Toledo City Landmasters of businessman/realtor Jose Soberano III against the Mantawi Traders of Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano at 5:30 pm.

A simple opening rites will precede the Toledo-Mantawi showdown, with MVBA chairman and Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar Moreno and Toledo Mayor Arlene Z. Espinosa expected to grace the affair.

The Landmasters will have their hands full on Sunday as they visit Cebu City to clash with M. Lhuillier-Cebu City of jewelry magnate Michel Lhuillier at 5:30 pm at the Cebu Coliseum.

On Tuesday, it's the Mantawi Traders' turn to host the M. Lhuillier-Cebu City Jewelers at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Center.

The other participating teams in the MVBA Visayas are Bacolod-West Negros College and Toyota-Iloilo Warriors.

Meanwhile, MVBA Visayas commissioner Boy Murillo announced that to protect the integrity of the league, strict measures and stiff penalties will be imposed on erring parties.

The biggest of them all is the whopping P300,000 fine for a team walkout. A player who commits three technical fouls will be assessed with P500 fine, while a flagrant foul means an automatic one-game suspension plus a fine that will be determined by the severity of the offense.

"Everybody should observe proper sense of decorum. Let us help one another to protect the integrity of the league. MVBA is our league and we should all contribute in helping it grow," said Murillo during the coaches and managers' meeting yesterday at the Baseline Restaurant.

Aside from Murillo, also present during the gathering were MVBA founder and MVBA founder Raul "Yayoy" Alcoseba, who is also the coach of M. Lhuillier, and coaches Eddie Ybañez (Mantawi) and Jun Tan (Toledo).

With them were Toledo team manager Eliseo Puno and assistant coach Noel Tampus, M. Lhuillier assistant coach Tata Merce, Mantawi assistant coach Edcel Vallena, and Mandaue City Sports and Development Commission representative Bobby Ranile.

Meanwhile, the MVBA Visayas action follows a double round robin, home-and-away format. Only one team will be eliminated at the end of the classification round.

In the semifinals, the No.1 and No.4 will collide in a best-of-three series, in the same way with the No.2 and No.3 squads. The winners will then fight for the MVBA Visayas championship also in a best-of-three affair.