Arwind Santos suspended indefinitely, fined P100,000 in MPBL for hitting opponent
MANILA, Philippines — Former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) star Arwind Santos, now seeing action for the Basilan Starhorse Portmasters in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), hogged headlines after being banned indefinitely after hitting an opposing player during an MPBL playoff game.
The MPBL on Wednesday night announced it has also fined Santos P100,000 for hitting Tonton Bringas of the Gensan Warriors in Game 2 of their playoff series Tuesday, October 21.
The incident occurred at the 8:32 mark of the fourth quarter of the game at the Malolos Convention Center, when Santos and Bringas briefly collided in the paint to jockey for position.
Video replays show Santos swinging his arm and hitting Bringas squarely on the face.
After facing public backlash brought about by its initial/prejudicial sanction, the Mpbl has hilariously upgraded its penalty on Arwind Santos, suspending him indefinitely and increasing his fine to ?100k.
— PBA insider ???? (@PBAinsider) October 22, 2025
The question now is how long (or short) will the suspension last. pic.twitter.com/azrJZkSdgP
The move automatically ejected Santos out of the game, and Basilan went on to win in double overtime, 116-114, to send the series to a deciding Game 3.
In a statement, MPBL Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes said the stiff sanction on Santos should serve as a stern warning for players to keep their cool during intense moments.
“We condemn the incident and the MPBL will not tolerate such actions, especially during the playoffs,” said Duremdes.
“The league has the full authority to impose sanctions on this deplorable act and we hope that our measures help put these behaviors to an immediate end,” he added.
'We stand by Santos'
Meanwhile, the Starhorse came to Santos' aid, saying their player had been on the receiving end of "repeated unsportsmanlike actions" by Bringas.
"While we respect the League’s authority, we believe the sanctions imposed deserve a fair review," the team said in a statement posted on its Facebook account
"Prior to the incident, Arwind was subjected to repeated action from Mr. Anthony Bringas. These were left unaddressed by officials, this escalating the situation," it added.
The team also said Santos already reached out to Bringas to settle the matter amicably.
The 35-year-old Santos is a decorated veteran who has won multiple titles with in the PBA.
Basilan and Gensan will play again on Friday for an MPBL semis seat.
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