MVP Sports reiterates funding-only role in Ateneo basketball program

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The MVP Sports Foundation, led by sports patron Manny V. Pangilinan, has clarified its role in the Ateneo Blue Eagles men’s basketball program, stressing that its involvement is limited to financial support amid reports linking it to the team’s internal management.

In a statement released on Tuesday, June 16, MVP Sports Foundation president Al Panlilio said the organization neither owns nor manages the Blue Eagles program, despite earlier reports noting that former team manager Epok Quimpo previously worked for Smart Communications.

READ: MVPSF says role in Ateneo basketball program limited to funding

The clarification comes about a week after the deaths of Ateneo players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, who drowned in Dipaculao, Aurora, on June 8.

“The MVP Sports Foundation (“MVPSF”) has long supported the Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team, along with many other collegiate and national sports campaigns, programs, and athletes. As with all the sports programs we support, the MVPSF’s role is limited to providing funding. The foundation does not own or manage the Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team. It does not run the team’s programs or oversee athlete management, coaching, recruitment, or player development,” the statement read.

The foundation also addressed Quimpo’s involvement with the team, noting that while he is an employee of Smart Communications, his role with Ateneo was in a personal capacity.

“Mr. Epok Quimpo is an employee of Smart Communications. However, we understand that he has served the Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team in his personal capacity over the past decade—as an Ateneo alumnus and a former member of the Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team—after being invited by Ateneo to serve as team manager. In that engagement, he has always been under the authority and direction of the University and its officials,” it added.

READ: Rene Baterbonia’s unfinished dream: From Talacogon to the big stage

Quimpo, along with Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin, recently resigned from his post following the controversy surrounding the deaths of the two players.

“The MVP Sports Foundation stands by all it has offered and provided for the development of Filipino athletes. We stand with all Filipinos not only in mourning the deaths of Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia, but also in working to uncover the truth behind this tragedy, reaching out to their families, and affirming our continuing mission to use sports as a platform for Filipinos to achieve excellence and pursue their dreams,” the statement concluded.

The MVP Sports Foundation has long been a major supporter of Philippine sports, backing programs such as the San Beda Red Lions, Gilas Pilipinas, and several National Sports Associations in boxing, weightlifting, golf, cycling, football, and taekwondo.

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