Embattled Magnolia Hotshots center Ian Sangalang on Monday pushed back against the game-fixing allegations brought against him in court in Singapore, vehemently denying any involvement.
An article that came out on Friday in Singapore's Straits Times reported that a Singaporean named Koa Wei Quan was charged in court of 14 counts of graft to influence the outcome of basketball games in the Philippines and Thailand.
Sangalang was mentioned in court records as having been offered US$5,000 by Koa to make sure that the Hotshots lost to San Miguel Beermen by nine points or more in a May 2018 PBA game. The Beermen won by exactly nine points, 108-99.
Sangalang met with PBA commissioner Willie Marcial on Monday morning to refute the allegations and deny even knowing Koa.
"He's denying it, he says he doesn't know this person," Marcial told ESPN in Tagalog. "He said he would never destroy his own name by getting involved in things like this."
Marcial added that Sangalang was planning to file a case against Koa for besmirching his name.
Also mentioned in the report was TNT Tropang Giga 3x3 player Almond Vosotros, who was alleged to have been offered bribes on three separate occasions to influence games in the Thailand Basketball League in 2018.
Marcial said he might also talk to Vosotros, although technically the league has no control over the player's actions in 2018 since he was not employed by any PBA team back then.
The report also alleged that Koa twice offered bribes to unidentified players from the Blackwater Elite (now Blackwater Bossing) to influence the outcome of two 2018 Commissioner's Cup games.
Marcial admitted it will be difficult to confirm these allegations against the Blackwater players since they remain unidentified.
The league, though, will continue its investigation and closely monitor the proceedings of the case being heard in Singapore.
"We will wait and see what happens in court," concluded Marcial. "We'll study our next move."