GAB orders probe on ‘mauling’ of Cebu official in Lapu-Lapu City

GAB Cebu official Jimmy Donton shows his bleeding nose after he was allegedly mauled by boxing judge Edgardo Olalo. | Photo courtesy of Edward Ligas

CEBU CITY, Philippines— The Games and Amusements Board (GAB) has ordered an immediate investigation on the alleged mauling of one of its officials by a boxing judge on April 1, 2023, in Lapu-Lapu City.

GAB, the official government licensing agency for professional sports, released its official statement in a Facebook post after GAB-Cebu officer-in-charge Jimmy Donton was allegedly beaten by boxing judge Edgardo Olalo after the “Kumbati 14” fight card of the Omega Boxing Gym held in Hoops Dome in Lapu-Lapu City.

Olalo allegedly punched Donton in the face several times which caused his nose to bleed and which caused him to suffer head injuries. Olalo was immediately arrested by responding personnel of Lapu-Lapu City Police Station 2 after Donton sought their assistance.

READ: Boxing judge nabbed for reportedly punching game official

“We at the Games and Amusements Board are alarmed by the physical violence involving a professional boxing judge and our very own official (GAB-Cebu) last April 1, 2023 after the Omega Sports boxing promotion at Hoops Dome, Lapu-Lapu City. The violent incident was the first in GAB’s history,” GAB said in its post.

​”We have immediately ordered an administrative investigation on the matter. Any attack on professional sports personnel is unacceptable and will be dealt with in accordance with law. We remind all professional sports athletes, officials and supervisors that violence has no place in, and is in fact anathema to, professional sports,” it added.

Responding police have concluded that the incident was mainly due to personal grudge. In 2022, Olalo and fellow boxing judge Arne Najera filed numerous complaints against Donton before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas.

CDN Digital tried to reach Olalo through his Facebook Messenger for his comment. He said that he was willing to give his side of the story through a statement, but he is yet to release one as of this writing.

Meanwhile, the Association of the Philippine Professional Boxing Ring Officials (APPBRO) Visayas Chapter has strongly condemned the incident, stating that it shows “immaturity, cowardice, and undeserving of his license as a judge.”

“This dastardly act is conduct unbecoming of a professional boxing judge and onlyshows his immaturity, cowardice, and undeserving of his license as a judge. This act must nmot be condoned because by assaulting a GAB official on duty (or after discharging his duty) is an attack to GAB itself as an institution. If Olalo can attack a GAB official, he can, or will attack any other ring official that may not agree with him, putting their lives in danger,” said on the group’s statement relayed by APPBRO Visayas Chapter president and fellow boxing judge Edward Ligas to CDN Digital.

The statement also noted that the APPBRO Visayas Chapter can vouch to Donton’s character as a competent, fair, hardworking, and honest GAB official.

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