JOJO Duncil, the player under scrutiny by the UAAP board, has pushed the escape button. Mr. Duncil and UST did the best way possible probably to avoid controversy, referring to Duncil’s birth certificates – the dissimilarity between the photo copy record of UAAP eligibility committee and his true record from the NSO.
His records in the UAAP said he was born in 1983, contrary to his authenticated NSO record. His NSO record stated that he was born in 1982. If he was born in 1982 means that he cannot play this season because he is 25 years old. Only players below 24 years old are allowed to play UAAP basketball.
Just three days ago, I went to the UST campus in Espana, Manila and I’m really happy to meet the man they call Mr. Jojo Duncil – last year’s finals MVP who took charge of the Growling Tiger’s destiny to a 2-1 victory over Ateneo to claim the 69th UAAP title. We had a great conversation. But some questions are still left hanging.
Jojo told me, there are a lot of people who are trying to ruin his reputation and tarnish the name of his school by horse riding on the issue. But despite those intrigues, as the way he expresses, he said even further that he’ll play this season even if some schools will oppose his eligibility.
“Lalaban kami kahit ano mangyari, lalaro ako para matulungan ko ang aking eskwelahan para maging champion ulit kami,” he bravely told this writer.
Jojo also admitted last Wednesday after practice that his birth certificate was accidentally duplicated when the municipality of Apalit had lost his original birth certificate many years back.
“When my older sister tried to get a copy of my birth certificate, our municipality lost it and replaced the document with a wrong year of birth (1982),” said Duncil. “By July, I’m hoping everything will be cleared because we are donig something about it.” Duncil was referring to a court proceeding in his hometown in Apalit, Pampanga.
Now those were his statements. It’s up to you to interpret up to its finest print on what he meant.
Three days later, i received a press release via my email, saying that Duncil will forgo his remaining year to have a shot of becoming a professional basketball player, though I’m not surprised by this move.
Here’s the press release sent by this year’s UAAP host school:
SPORTS SECTION PLEASE, URGENT UAAP RELEASE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Duncil foregoes final year of eligibility, decides to turn pro.
JOJO Duncil, the 24-year-old who led the Santo Tomas Growling Tigers to an improbable Cinderella finish last year, has decided to forego his final year of UAAP eligibility to join the coming Philippine Basketball Assocation Draft.
The crafty, 6-foot shooting guard got the blessings of school officials and his coach, Pido Jarencio, after a long talk yesterday, with Jarencio saying that he will not in any way “stand in the way of his progress.”
” It is his and his family’s decision,” Jarencio said. “He already served his school well, and with that we are grateful. It’s time for us, as his guardians here (at UST), to support him in his career move.”
A native of Apalit town in Pampanga, Duncil, who won the Finals MVP last season when the Tigers upset the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 2-1, in the title series, was also a vital cog of the Harbour Centre team that won the PBL Unity Cup recently. His contract with the Batang Pier will expire at the end of this month.
” I want to play against the best and it is at this stage of my career where I feel that I can do that,” Duncil, who is the second blue-chip player to skip this year’s UAAP after Adamson’s Ken Bono, said in Filipino. “I am very thankful for UST officials for giving me their blessings.”
The PBA Draft is set in the second week of August and Duncil is expected to be snagged high in the order. Duncil attended practice at the UST gym yesterday to bid teammates farewell and wish them the best in their title defense, which starts Saturday next week.
Bono, the burly 6-foot-5 center who has a soft, accurate touch from the outside, is also reportedly set to enlist in the pool, which could go down as one of the richest in recent years.
I personally don’t know what the UAAP board will tell UST on Tuesday. But I’m sure they will throw this question at them: Why did you (UST) and Mr. Duncil did not wait for our decision before releasing this press statement?
Anyway, about my own opinion, UST and Duncil did the right thing…hopefully public perception will prevail.
inboundpass.com Blog 
nakakasama man ng loob, but i think this is the right move for UST and Duncil..
sana wag nating i-interpret na tinatakasan ng UST ang responsibility nila over the ‘birth certificate thingy’ with this move coz I think its a separate issue of whether UST is should be held responsible for what had happened with Duncil’s birth cert..
and i think if the UAAP board should find UST guilty for this (and kung i-suspend sila), i know UST will abide to it; no questions asked..
but then again, congrats jojo! i know you’ll go places with much talent that you have. the thomasian community is so proud of you! i love you!—may ganon talaga! hahahaha
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The Great Dominican Escape!
Good job Jojo!
Make the Dominican friars proud!
Jojo Duncil and UST have parted ways. But each personality has left with a lot of burning questions. In the UAAP press conference, Rev. Father de Sagun had the task to answer the Duncil issue but unfortunately, sad to say, Fr. de Sagun was cornered and has to answer. Still the issue was left hanging. Maybe it will die a natural death as the saying goes. But we’ll see in the coming weeks. And hopefully the truth will come out – somewhere.
I am just sad that there are different standards for different schools. The decision of Duncil reflects the truth wbout this issue. He would not have left UST if there was no reason. Why would he?
If this incident would have involved a La Salle player, i can imagine how the press will go to town.
The UAAP cannot just let this go. They cannot be selective about their efforts to clean up the league. They have to follow the efforts of the NCAA. They have to do something or they will always be suspect.
With La Salle, the season has already started plus when they won the championship, the players involved already violated the rule.
With regard to UST, Duncil was eligible to play when they won the championship.
It’s true that Mr. Duncil was eligible during their Championship run. But i believe the issue here now is, why does he have 2 birth certificates? Who will be accountable for his actions?
you dont know the reason beyond duncil’s decision?? come on, its all over the net even on broadsheets…. he would leave ust for his personal growth, to go pro, that’s it. cno b nmng player ang aayaw na mging part ng pba
black-gold-black-white,
Then why did he only decide to go to the PBA after this birth certificate problem arose. He was in the roster until late last week.
oh comon! jealous people reallly like to pull other people down…anyway, let’s just take it to the hardcourt…magkakaalaman narn nman tau dahil wala na si Jojo…I can’t wait to end that losing streak..
Bring it!
oh by the way just a quote from the great holy book: “Why do you notice the little piece of sawdust that is in your brother’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)
look first into your OWN WRONGDOINGS before you look at others…nyahaha
The one who should be accountable would be the one who either:
[1] Tampered the True certificate to make Jojo eligible to play this season or;
[2] The one who made a fake one and planted it at NSO (which is possible also)
—
His passport also bears his 1983 birthdate, so we can assume that Jojo has been using the 1983 certificate for quite awhile. Or maybe it is the true copy.
—
Jojo’s decision to move into the PBA ranks can be seen in three ways:
[1] To make sure that if indeed his true birth was 1982, then his violation would not affect heavily against UST’s title defense;
[2] it can be a last minute career move; he might have seen that in this draft batch he could end up in as a higher draft pick, rather than delay his turning pro for next year; or
[3]1983 might really be his birthday, but he is humble enough to take the burden for now and let the “truth set him free” in the coming days/months
—-
“Madrama” is this season’s “tag” line. And Jojo’s story is just one of them. 🙂
So let’s just wait, and for the meantime, Ready our voices, UAAP season is just around the corner. 🙂
ang galing naman… so, sino ngayon ang nandaya, nadaya at madadaya pa… tsktsk…
Why do think that there is a double standard in the UAAP? Why is UST calling the issue a “dead horse”?
There is something very wrong with the way they handled the issue.
Since Jojo Ducil is the nephew of the present rector of UST, Fr. Arceo, what do we expect?
The UAAP is a dead horse.
Green Mind,
You have to understand that UST is not La Salle. That’s the difference here.
What if it was Ateneo, La Salle(again) or even UP? Press galore!
bwahaha,
Does your biblical line mean that we should not catch criminals because we have all sinned?
He simply means UST is exempted to the rule… UST, the host, of course wants to kill this issue.
GUILTY — the best word to describe it…