Yeng Guiao has opened a can of worms with his callout of Cliff Hodge.
On Sunday, after the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters beat the Meralco Bolts, Guiao branded Hodge “the dirtiest player in the league” after he was involved in a knee-on-knee collision with Adrian Nocum. A day later, Meralco issued a strong rebuke, calling Guiao’s remarks “unfair” and “unprofessional,” among other things.
Now, the Rain or Shine organization has responded in kind, penning a letter to the Office of the Commissioner that supported Guiao’s initial claim. It also implored Commissioner Willie Marcial to take action against the Fil-Am forward.
Hodge Acted With Malice, Says Rain or Shine
In the letter posted on the team’s official social media pages, Rain or Shine insists that Hodge acted with malice in the incident involving Nocum, which happened with about four minutes left in the third quarter.
“Based on the footage and the nature of the play, we firmly believe Mr. Hodge acted with intent to cause harm,” the letter said. “Given the recurring nature of such plays throughout his career, we respectfully urge the league to conduct a thorough review of the incident and take decisive action.”
In said play, Nocum drove hard to the basket and was met by Hodge, who was looking to draw a charge. Replays show Hodge sliding to his left to get position, with his left leg slightly out of a defender’s imaginary cylinder. That slight extension, in turn, caused the knee-on-knee collision that took both men down for the count.
Rain or Shine Cites Precedents
Rain or Shine management then pointed out that the incident with Nocum isn’t an isolated one, and that Hodge has been involved in similar cases where players have been hurt.
“This is not an isolated case. Earlier in this conference, Mr. Hodge caused a laceration near the eye of our player, Mr. Deo Cuajao, which merited an unsportsmanlike foul,” Rain or Shine further wrote. “These recurring incidents—along with numerous other hard hits delivered to players across the league—demonstrate a consistent pattern of behavior. While these actions are often dismissed or characterized as ‘accidental’ by him, they frequently result in bloody and potentially career-threatening injuries for aggrieved players. Notable recent examples include the severe hit on Mr. Mark Barroca in the May 2026 Commissioner’s Cup and the intentional foul on Mr. Zavier Lucero during last season’s Philippine Cup.”
The incident with Cuajao occurred back on July 18, when Meralco and Rain or Shine met for the first time in the PBA Governors’ Cup. With four minutes left in regulation, Hodge went up for a possible offensive rebound, and upon landing, hit Cuajao square in the face with his left forearm, resulting in a gash on the rookie’s right eyelid.
The Barroca incident saw Hodge hit Barroca on the side of the head while trying to swipe the ball from the latter, who had already secured the rebound. Lucero’s case was even worse, as the 14-year veteran pulled the former’s head on a loose ball, which could’ve potentially injured the one-time UP Fighting Maroon.
Rain or Shine Seeks Proactive Measures vs. Hodge
Clearly, the Elasto Painters aren’t taking things lying down—not after two of their best young players were involved in highly physical incidents with Hodge. Given the precedents enumerated therein, Rain or Shine formally called on the PBA brass to “impose stiffer penalties” on Hodge and to “implement proactive measures to prevent similar dangerous incidents in the future.”
“While previous fines and suspensions have been issued, they have proven insufficient in deterring Mr. Hodge from crossing the line between acceptable physicality and reckless, dangerous play…,” Rain or Shine added. “In light of this, we respectfully request that the Office of the Commissioner impose stiffer penalties for his actions against Mr. Nocum and implement proactive measures to prevent similar dangerous incidents in the future.”
Curiously, Hodge has escaped multi-game suspensions in his career. In fact, his most prominent punishment was a one-game ban and a ₱100,000 fine for his takedown of Lucero. Now, though, the Elasto Painters have brought out receipts and are making the fiercest stand against Hodge. The ball, as the saying goes, is now in Willie Marcial’s court.
