STATS | THE MPBL HAS MORE THAN A BACOLOD PROBLEM

Last week, I wrote a PANIC MODE piece about the problems championship-less PBA teams, as well as the league itself, encounter the moment they buy a franchise.

Well, a couple of days ago, I proved my point.

But this time, it wasn't just in the PBA.

The difference between the PBA and the MPBL is that while the SMC and MVP teams are "harvesting" talent from their respective farm teams, it's even worse in Manny Pacquiao's MPBL. Because the MPBL has no draft, when a team like the Abra Weavers loses its players to the PBA, it can simply acquire the free agents it needs to fill those roster spots.

Meanwhile, the rest of the league has to make do with the players they can afford, whether they're homegrown talents or players who, for lack of a better term, aren't ready for online or on-air exposure.

Now, the league may face a GAB investigation because of the game between the Bacolod MassKara and the Bulacan Kuyas. Basically, the game was slipping away from Bacolod. Marjun Wahing scored a two-point basket with 7:50 left in the fourth quarter, and after Bacolod cut the deficit to 81-64, Bulacan closed the game on a 19-0 run to win, 100-64.

That means Bacolod not only lost by 36 points, but also failed to score for almost eight minutes.

What's even worse is that there was zero urgency from either the coaching staff or the players, with the team benching Desmond Price, their lone offensive threat, at a time when Bacolod fans were sharing the same sentiments as broadcaster Cedelf Tupas.

I mean, if you watched the game, it felt like they had already conceded with six minutes still left to play.

If you were a Negros Slashers fan back in the day, seeing this team play is torture.

And here's the insane part. This wasn't the first time Bacolod got routed this season. In fact, 12 of their 19 losses have been by 20 points or more, including two 40-plus-point defeats to San Juan and Caloocan, a 50-plus-point loss to Quezon, and a whopping 84-point defeat to the Abra Weavers just one game before they faced the Bulacan Kuyas.

BACOLOD MASSKARA

2026 MPBL SEASON

GM	DATE	PLAYING AGAINST	STR	SCORE		DEFICIT
1	14-Apr	IMUS YANGKEE	W1	111	105	6
2	20-Apr	SARANGANI 10ACT	L1	94	96	-2
3	23-Apr	MANILA BATANG QUIAPO	L2	67	73	-6
4	28-Apr	GENSAN WARRIORS	L3	77	108	-31
5	04-May	QC BLACK BULLS	L4	83	93	-10
6	07-May	BATANG KANKALOO	L5	52	99	-47
7	12-May	QUEZON HUSKERS	L6	61	113	-52
8	16-May	SAN JUAN KNIGHTS	L7	85	128	-43
9	21-May	PARANAQUE PATRIOTS	W1	86	85	1
10	26-May	BATANGAS CITY TANDUAY	L1	78	111	-33
11	01-Jun	NEGROS HACIENDEROS	W1	99	87	12
12	04-Jun	RIZAL GOLDEN COOLERS	L1	72	107	-35
13	08-Jun	PASIG CITY	L2	84	96	-12
14	11-Jun	1BATAAN RISERS	L3	62	113	-51
15	15-Jun	VAL CITY DARKHORSE	L4	80	92	-12
16	22-Jun	PASAY VOYAGERS	L5	74	100	-26
17	27-Jun	ZAMBOANGA SIKAT	L6	80	117	-37
18	03-Jul	ILIGAN ISABELA COWBOYS	L7	90	107	-17
19	09-Jul	CEBU GREATS	L8	67	97	-30
20	13-Jul	MARIKINA BIGZ BURGER	L9	100	107	-7
21	20-Jul	ABRA WEAVERS	L10	45	129	-84
22	28-Jul	BULACAN KUYAS	L11	64	100	-36
						-552

What happened next was just nuts.

Out of nowhere, the MPBL announced that it was investigating Bacolod's alleged shady dealings, and less than a day after the game, the team was kicked out of the 2026 MPBL tournament.

Now, unlike most people, I thought the decision to kick Bacolod out was harsh. For one thing, I felt the league showed some recency bias, which is why it was so quick to pull the trigger. Yes, there may have been game-fixing, but the league needed to complete its investigation before handing down such a severe punishment. Also, I think there's a much bigger problem here.

Before the 2026 MPBL season even started, powerhouse teams like Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Davao Occidental, Muntinlupa, and Pampanga had already bowed out. Moreover, the Iloilo United Royals were sacked midseason after abandoning their league commitment. The Barako Bull Energy Boosters remain the only PBA team in league history that failed to complete a season. The MPBL, meanwhile, has already had two teams get the boot in the middle of its current season.

We've seen the likes of Mike Phillips, Kean Baclaan, Harold Alarcon, Jake Figueroa, Cedrick Manzano, DJ Fenner, and others sign with the league's richer teams, while the rest have had to settle for whoever was available and willing to play.

Basically, the MPBL shouldn't remove Bacolod solely because of what it allegedly did. Instead, it should also take a long, hard look at the quality of its other franchises. Looking at the current standings, around ten other teams simply don't have competitive lineups.

30-POINT TAMBAKOL

START TO JULY 31, 2026

DATE	WINNER	LOSER	WS	LS	DEFICIT
16-Apr	PASAY	PARANAQUE	83	48	35
21-Apr	ABRA	PARANAQUE	115	81	34
21-Apr	CALOOCAN	NEGROS	77	49	28
23-Apr	BATAAN	BULACAN	102	68	34
28-Apr	GENSAN	BACOLOD	108	77	31
30-Apr	RIZAL	PARANAQUE	117	79	38
30-Apr	BATANGAS CITY	PASIG	98	68	30
02-May	MINDORO	PARANAQUE	119	71	48
04-May	GENSAN	ILOILO	120	68	52
04-May	PASAY	IMUS	109	70	39
07-May	CALOOCAN	BACOLOD	99	52	47
07-May	ABRA	MARIKINA	89	53	36
08-May	QC	ILOILO	102	70	32
11-May	BATANGAS CITY	PARANAQUE	91	53	38
12-May	QUEZON	BACOLOD	113	61	52
13-May	ABRA	IMUS	113	75	38
13-May	CALOOCAN	ILOILO	121	49	72
16-May	SAN JUAN	BACOLOD	128	85	43
18-May	QUEZON	ILOILO	87	50	37
19-May	CALOOCAN	VALENZUELA	97	58	39
20-May	PASAY	MANILA	126	82	44
22-May	SAN JUAN	ILOILO	102	60	42
22-May	BINAN	IMUS	131	76	55
25-May	CEBU	MANILA	128	93	35
26-May	BATANGAS CITY	BACOLOD	111	78	33
29-May	ABRA	MANILA	114	77	37
01-Jun	QUEZON	SARANGANI	89	59	30
02-Jun	BINAN	ILOILO	114	64	50
04-Jun	RIZAL	BACOLOD	107	72	35
05-Jun	BATANGAS CITY	ILOILO	102	67	35
06-Jun	GENSAN	PARANAQUE	126	86	40
06-Jun	ABRA	NEGROS	122	81	41
08-Jun	BINAN	MARIKINA	103	73	30
09-Jun	GENSAN	MANILA	118	71	47
10-Jun	CEBU	PARANAQUE	100	51	49
11-Jun	BATAAN	BACOLOD	113	62	51
15-Jun	MEYCAUAYAN	IMUS	120	75	45
18-Jun	SAN JUAN	PASIG	114	79	35
18-Jun	BATANGAS CITY	SARANGANI	111	64	47
23-Jun	CALOOCAN	MANILA	130	91	39
24-Jun	RIZAL	NEGROS	108	78	30
26-Jun	ABRA	BASILAN	110	70	40
27-Jun	ZAMBOANGA	BACOLOD	117	80	37
29-Jun	CALOOCAN	PARANAQUE	127	91	36
30-Jun	QUEZON	PASIG	93	55	38
03-Jul	GENSAN	IMUS	124	94	30
04-Jul	SAN JUAN	SARANGANI	110	76	34
04-Jul	QC	PARANAQUE	106	74	32
06-Jul	CEBU	NEGROS	124	77	47
06-Jul	BATAAN	IMUS	98	50	48
08-Jul	BINAN	MANILA	129	85	44
09-Jul	CEBU	BACOLOD	97	67	30
11-Jul	QUEZON	QC	93	52	41
13-Jul	CALOOCAN	IMUS	122	90	32
15-Jul	QC	MANILA	122	68	54
20-Jul	VALENZUELA	IMUS	129	97	32
20-Jul	ABRA	BACOLOD	129	45	84
21-Jul	BATAAN	PARANAQUE	139	88	51
22-Jul	PASAY	NEGROS	118	85	33
25-Jul	BATAAN	NEGROS	114	82	32
28-Jul	BULACAN	BACOLOD	100	64	36
28-Jul	ZAMBOANGA	PARANAQUE	130	76	54
29-Jul	QC	NEGROS	120	87	33
29-Jul	ABRA	PASIG	130	76	54
31-Jul	CALOOCAN	SARANGANI	113	83	30

It's also difficult for the league to maintain a clean-cut image when its main sponsors are sports betting companies while it allows its players to participate in ligang labas tournaments.

Again, I understand the need to reprimand Bacolod. However, before next season, the MPBL also needs to evaluate its franchises. Can these teams sustain a franchise, let alone field a competitive lineup?

Look, maybe it's unfair for some players to lose their jobs if the league trims down its roster of teams.

However, if the MPBL truly wants to establish itself as the PBA's premier alternative, then it needs to get rid of its deadweight franchises, especially if those teams are simply going to sit back and let the richer clubs dominate the league.