The 1978 MICAA tournament got off to an auspicious start on January 8, 1978, when one of the inaugural games, the one between Refrigeration Industries and Imperial Textile Mills (ITM) was marred with controversy.

ITM had filed a protest against one of Frigidaire’s players, Roberto Concepcion. Team manager Edilberto Bonus pointed out how Concepcion was a former professional player who played for the Toyota Tamaraws during the 1975 PBA season.

Under MICAA rules, Concepcion was ineligible to play. Bonus pointed out how the player was not acquired through the pool as provided in MICAA rules.

Further, the ITM manager batted that Concepcion could not play under the open recruitment rule since the quota for two players had already been met by Refrigeration Industries with the acquisition of Joel Banal and Merced.

As a result, the Frigidaires’ 100-95 win over the Textilers was overturned. This was after the league board of control convened and ended up agreeing to nullify the win by Refrigeration Industries at the Manila Golf and Country Club on January 9, 1978.

Concepcion suited up for Toyota but barely played in the 1975 PBA season with the Tamaraws. He averaged 4.6 points per game in three games.