MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has fined Talk ‘N Text over P1 million for walking out during their Game 4 quarterfinal match with Barangay Ginebra last week.

PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios said that aside from the forfeiture of Game 4 in favor of the Gin Kings, the league has levied a P500,000 fine on the Tropang Texters, the amount of which shall be paid to Ginebra under section 32 of the PBA constitution and by-laws.

On top of the P500,000 fine, TNT’s share in the gate receipts and TV revenues for that game, which could be anywhere from P200,000 to P250,000, has also been forfeited in favor of the 9 other PBA ballclubs.

Barrios said the league and its teams serve different publics, foremost of which is the watching public, who happens to be the lifeblood of PBA league and whose interest the league has sworn to protect and hold as primordial.

“There are established rules and procedures to properly ventilate a team’s disagreement with officiating so that the fans do not become innocent and unwilling victims of a team’s protest over calls,” Barrios said in a statement.

The Texters lost their KFC PBA Philippine Cup best-of-five series to the Gin Kings last Sunday. Talk ‘N Text swept the Gin Kings in the first 2 games of their best-of-five series but dropped the next 3, including a forfeiture in Game 4 after they walked out in the first quarter in protest over officiating.

Despite their failed bid to defend their title, Smart-PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan said he had no regrets in backing his team’s walkout against Barangay Ginebra Friday night.

“It was the right decision under the circumstances,” he said.

Pangilinan, however, reiterated that the entire team will be evaluated after Talk n Text’s sorry exit Sunday night, marking the end of Tropang Texters’ reign as PBA Philippine Cup champions. With a report from the Philippine Star