Ronald Tubid apologized for his retaliation towards the streaker who interrupted Game Five of the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup Finals and hurt his teammate June Mar Fajardo in the process, Friday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Tubid came onto the scene in the tunnel of the Big Dome going into the dugout. He landed a punch on the fan wearing a Spider-Man costume, whom venue bouncers had already secured after his center court cameo appearance late in the fourth quarter.
The 37-year-old felt sorry for his actions.
“Nasaktan pa yung big man namin eh. So pagdating sa team namin… Nagdilim paningin ko. Di ko lubos matanggap na bakit,” said Tubid.
“As a veteran, kailangan ko ipagtanggol teammate ko. Pero yung nasuntok ko, sorry.”
The streaker, identified as Paolo Felizarta, stormed into the court at the 3:06 mark of the payoff period when the Beermen were fighting back from a double-digit deficit.
Holding a poster with “Vote, Love” sign, the fan unintentionally bumped Fajardo, who suffered a hit on the jaw that caused his downfall.
For Tubid, it was just his instinct to react, especially after seeing Fajardo – SMB’s most important player – go down.
“Nadala lang sa init ng ulo. Kasi momentum na namin eh. So instead na tuloy-tuloy, natalo pa kami ng two points. So parang yung galit na yun, bat ba nangyari yun?” added Tubid.
“Ayoko lang makita na ginaganun teammate ko.”
With this, Tubid, as the man he is, said that he is willing to accept any consequence for his improper actions on the streaker whom he also understands.
“Hindi natin alam kung ano nasa mind niya. Pero sa nagawa ko ako yung humihingi ng sorry. Kasi mali rin eh. If there’s something wrong with his mind – kung sira-ulo ba or ano – kailangan maintindihan eh … dapat ‘di ko ginawa,” Tubid said.
“Nagawa ko eh. Kung anuman mangyari, yun.”
Felizarta is currently detained in Station 7 of the Quezon City Police District, and might face charges of alarm and scandal together with unjust vexation.
His camp, represented by his cousin and younger brother, hinted at also filing cases of their own – especially on Tubid who landed a punch on Felizarta.
The PBA, for its part, is also studying possible legal actions in order to avoid the incident reoccurring in future league games.
