School suspends Orbeta amid game-fixing scam

The College of St. Benilde (CSB) has suspended top Blazers point guard Paolo Orbeta after he was arrested last Wednesday by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on suspicion of game fixing activities. Paul Supan of host Jose Rizal University, and this year's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) management committee chairman, made the announcement in a press briefing Friday before the start of the NCAA basketball games at The Arena in San Juan. Supan said that with CSB's decision to suspend its top playmaker the NCAA management committee has also decided to suspend indefinitely Orbeta from playing in the basketball tournament. "Pending the outcome of the investigation, CSB has suspended Mr. Orbeta. Therefore, the NCAA is also suspending Mr. Orbeta from playing, indefinitely," Supan explained. Orbeta, who averages 11.5 points a game, was nabbed by the NBI following an entrapment operation last Wednesday in an eatery near the De La Salle University campus. Also arrested were James Ryan Mangaran, a schoolmate of Orbeta; Amante Chandumal, a salesman; and Inspector Aaron Raemon Abon Elago of the Philippine National Police-Philippine Public Safety College (PNP-PPSC). Another alleged cohort, a certain Luigi Guingon, is being sought by the NBI. The latest scandal to hit the country's oldest collegiate league confirmed fears that game fixers may have been been manipulating the games. But Supan assured that everything is being done to curb the illegal activity. "The NCAA has been very vigilant in terms of monitoring any forms of illegal gambling as evidenced by working closely with the NBI since season 81st season. This season has been very quiet and incident like this is purely an isolated case allegedly involving an individual," he added. The suspension of Orbeta serves as a big blow to the one-time NCAA champ's campaign in the basketball tourney. The CSB Blazers, who are currently at last spot in the men's standings with a 1-6 win-loss record, were to play the JRU Bombers in Friday's main game of an NCAA double header at 4 p.m. at The Arena in San Juan. - GMANews.TV