San Sebastian College is being hounded by some financial issues after its head coach, Robert Labagala, went on record to admit that they haven’t received their salaries and allowances for the past four months.

Speaking following their razor-thin 82-81 win over Letran College, Labagala admitted that they won because of their fighting hearts. In fact, they are playing even without being compensated for the past four months as their sponsors have yet to honor their commitment.

San Sebastian is being backed by the management group led by Jackson Chua of Red Dynasty Seafood Restaurant, who, at one point, tried to buy the Terrafirma franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association. The deal, however, was called off after Chua’s group failed to present some necessary documents.

With Chua financing the Stags, they were able to build up in the off-season, bringing in new talents like Jhuniel dela Rama, Ian Cuajao and brothers Jordi and Jaime Gomez de Liano.

But in a post-game interview, Labagala admitted that they haven’t received anything from their bosses for the past four months.

“Speaking of heart, we didn’t show our heart in the game, but how committed are we to winning despite the struggles that we are facing. Just to give you an idea, we continue playing despite having no salaries and allowances for the past four months,” Labagala said.

“We are not just fighting on the court — we are fighting for our lives.”

San Sebastian president Fr. Rafael Pecson, OAR, however, dismissed Labagala’s claim.

“Out of respect for the truth, I wish to clarify that all our coaches and staff have been receiving their monthly salaries faithfully and on time,” he said in a statement.

“As a Catholic educational institution, we are guided by truth spoken with charity and charity lived in truth.”

With their salaries and allowances still pending, the performance of the Stags in the ongoing Season 101 of the men’s basketball tournament had greatly suffered.

In fact, they have won only twice in their first nine games in the preliminaries, with the last coming at the expense of the Knights off a lucky bounce from Dela Rama’s jumper at the buzzer.

“Our sponsor right now, sad to say they weren’t able to deliver. I hope they deliver,” Labagala said, commending his coaching staff for playing hard despite worrying about their financial woes.