Yeng Guiao and Alfrancis Chua may have just made this PBA Commissioner’s Cup semis series between Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters a lot more interesting—and compelling.
That’s after the two figured in not one but two verbal spats on Wednesday—one in the first half of Game 4 and the other after the final buzzer.
Guiao vs. Chua, Round 1
The first skirmish happened during a Ginebra timeout at the 5:19 mark of the first quarter when, according to Guiao himself, he asked Chua not to avoid talking to the referees as it could result in intimidation. Words were then exchanged, with the Ginebra team governor allegedly calling the Rain or Shine mentor “ulul.”
“‘Di ko naman siya minura. Sabi ko lang ‘wag mo kausapin ang referees, which is a fair statement kasi nakaka‑intimidate ‘yun. And in a close series where there are a lot of calls that can determine the game, I’m protecting my team,” Guiao recalled of the first‑quarter incident. “Tapos from afar, tinawag niya ‘kong ulol… Nagkasagutan kami. I think marami namang naka‑witness. I was just asking him to stop talking to the referees. ‘Yun lang ‘yon.”
Chua, seated along the Ginebra bench, even walked toward Guiao on the Rain or Shine bench and appeared to mouth off a few choice words. But cooler heads prevailed, and Game 4 went on, with Rain or Shine hacking out a 97-85 victory.
Guiao vs. Chua, Round 2
The drama continued during the traditional postgame handshake, when Chua again approached Guiao. This time around, they met face to face near center court and got into somewhat of an animated conversation. That’s when Chua, again according to Guiao, asked him what the problem was.
“Akala ko, makiki‑handshake siya,” Guiao said of his and Chua’s postgame interaction. “Nilapitan ko si Coach Tim [Cone]. Nag‑handshake kami. Tapos lumapit siya [Alfrancis Chua], tinanong niya ‘ko kung ano raw ang problema ko sa kanya. Sabi ko, ‘wag mo lang kakausapin ang referees.”
After the game, Chua was still hot under the collar, apparently taking Guiao’s request as a form of meddling.
“Lahat pinapakialaman niya… Eto pinapakialaman niya. ‘Wag ko raw kausapin referee. Team niya hindi ko pinapakialaman. Pakialaman niya ‘yung team niya, ‘wag niya pakialaman ‘yung team namin,” Chua told reporters. “Trabaho na lang siya, mag‑coach na lang siya…”
Guiao coached in Game 4, all right, unleashing some physical, aggressive defense on Ginebra from the get‑go and pushing all the right buttons. He will have to do more of the same come Game 5. As for Chua? The best bet is he’ll keep talking to the refs.
So, will some of that bad blood spill over to Game 5? Best to tune in.
