Crisano denies illegal drug use

Fil-Am cager Alex Crisano denied ever taking any illegal drugs and said the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory might have mistaken the food supplements he was taking to a banned substance in his urine sample in a recent drug test.

But Barangay Ginebra team manager Ira Maniquis said they’re abiding by the PBA Commissioner’s Office’s decision although they intended to conduct their own drug test on Crisano.

PBA commissioner Noli Eala suspended Crisano indefinitely after the 6-foot-7 Ginebra behemoth tested positive for methamphetamine hydrochloride (or shabu) in a random drug test.

"He denied taking drugs. Baka raw resulta iyon nang mga food supplements niya dahil he’s into weight-reduction program," said Maniquis.

PBA officials, however, said it’s highly improbable the PNP Crime Lab committed a mistake because it follows a thorough procedure in drug testing.

"The Department of Health said the urine sample is broken apart to determine if the substance is an ingredient of an approved drug or medication. It’s not 100 percent sure but highly improbable na mali," said the league commissioner.

"Doon sa initial test pwedeng mali. Pero pagdating sa confirmatory test ng PNP Crime Lab, malabong sumablay iyon," said PBA technical chief Perry Martinez. "We have had five cases na may lumabas sa initial test, confirmatory test hindi naman pala illegal drugs. Malabong magkamali pagdating na sa crime lab."

Nonetheless, Maniquis said they’re extending assistance to Crisano. He said: "Wala naman masamang ipinakita sa amin iyan. So we’ll give him assistance as long as legal under the Philippine laws and under the league’s rules."

In the light of the new illegal drug case in the league, Eala said they would propose to the PBA board of governors that they strengthen and widen the scope of their random drug test. The commissioner now wants to have eight players tested per playdate.

At present, two players per team are picked per playdate, but only four out of the eight are tested. Eala is also thinking on applying the hair follicular test in the near future. "This is more accurate test because it is not affected by water dilution or water therapy. The only problem is the cost of such a test and the availability of the system," he said.