Ismael Romero’s status in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup remains unsettled, as Meralco hopes he will resolve his matters first.
The Bolts are well aware of the controversy surrounding the Puerto Rican big man after kicking Nick Demusis in Dubai last January. So they’re crossing their fingers that he can fix what’s necessary before deciding on his fate.
“It’s up in the air,” head coach Luigi Trillo admitted to reporters on Wednesday night.
“I mean, he’ll have to face sanctions, if there are.
“I know that’s not a FIBA-sanctioned league, I know it happened away, and it’s not with Meralco. But now that he’s part of the Meralco family, he has to carry himself better,” the veteran bench tactician furthered.
Trillo said as much on the heels of their 88-79 loss to Ryukyu at the SMART Araneta Coliseum that marked the end of their 2025-26 EASL run. It was also Romero’s first game back in Manila since the incident.
The 34-year-old hogged the headlines for his attack on the former PBA player, which marred Al Ahli Tripoli’s 110-103 win over Zamboanga that also booted the Valientes out of the Dubai International Basketball Championship.
He kicked Demusis in the face and neck before the latter retreated to the baseline to escape the assault. Game officials promptly ejected Romero for the apparent retaliation following the foul he received from the winger.
Filipino fans were left furious and took to social media to voice their anger, with some even believing that he should have been banned for life from the tournament.
According to reports, the Games and Amusements Board — the Philippines’ regulatory body for professional sports — is looking into Romero’s case.
But with no verdict handed down as of the moment, the Puerto Rican men’s team stalwart still saw action for the Philippine side in the pan-regional competition.
In fact, he even received cheers and adoration from the home crowd that trooped to the Big Dome after spearheading Meralco’s comeback bid with a solid performance, finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds.
“I think today he showed naman that he was able to keep his composure and fight,” said Trillo of Romero, whose layup pulled the team to 84-79 late in the game after trailing by as many as 20 during the third.
Still, the Bolts know that Romero must earn his forgiveness, especially from Demusis himself.
“I think ang maganda roon, makipag-areglo siya,” Trillo opined. “You know, get a chance to meet the person personally, and say sorry. And if he needs to man up with that, I think that will make him a better person.”
The club is also hoping that fans will give Romero another chance — provided, of course, that he first takes accountability for his actions in Dubai.
“He’s just human. Tao lang, Masama ‘yung ginawa niya, hindi tama ‘yun. Sana he can apologize and you know, sana, bigyan ng mga fans natin ng second chance,” said Trillo. “Lahat naman tayo nagse-second chance, ‘di ba?
“I mean, guys have been banned from our league — some of the greatest players have been banned from a league, and they’ve come back, right? A different case, I know. But kailangan, aminin niya muna.”
