An ineligibility complaint was filed on Sept. 22 against a former Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles player for allegedly failing to finish high school, reports Inquirer.net.
Atty. Levito Baligod filed the complaint with the UAAP board against center Jobe Nkemakolam for allegedly not completing his high school requirements at Reedley International School. Attached to the complaint was a certification from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) dated Sept. 3 and signed by Officer-in-Charge Lilian Enriquez stating that Nkemakolam "is not qualified for admission to college."
"Reedley even disputes that Jobe graduated from their institution," Baligod said, according to inboundpass.com.
Baligod found the documents by accident while running a background check on Nkemakolam for his client Mylene Santos, whose daughter allegedly conceived a child by the ex-Blue Eagle.
"As far as we know, he's eligible. The issue really is Jobe is not acceptable to them (the parents of Jobe's girlfriend). They want to do everything to destroy Jobe," Ateneo representative Ricky Palou told Inquirer.net.
CHED's Enriquez, however, released on Sept. 23 a letter to Atty. Baligod seeking to "clarify matters regarding the case of Mr. Nkemakolam," stating that under Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS) Order No. 26, "those who completed the Eleventh or Twelfth grades may be eligible for admission to the tertiary level."
This is not the first time that the question of eligibility came up in the UAAP. In 2006, the La Salle Green Archers were suspended for fielding two players who were found to have fake Philippine Education Placement test results. The Archers had to return their 2004 championship and 2005 runner-up trophies.
