Philippines - FIBA lifts RP suspension

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The International Basketball Federation lifted its ban on Philippine basketball yesterday, ending nearly two years of a bitterly-fought power struggle and signaling the return of Team Philippines to international competition.

The lifting was actually a done deal when FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann attended the Unity Congress in Manila earlier this month, jetting in from Bangkok Feb. 5 and jetting out 12 hours later. His presence had sealed the deal and established the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas as the legitimate RP basketball organization.

But even then, the SBP which has fallen into the good graces of the FIBA, was unsure if it would get the final nod, having been frustrated a couple of times in the past.

"We still didn’t know what the FIBA decision would be until we received the notice yesterday," said Philippine Olympic Committee spokesman Joey Romasanta, relieved that the ordeal is finally over.

It was Romasanta’s boss, POC President Jose Cojuangco Jr., after all who plunged RP basketball to a crisis of brutal proportions when the POC’s expulsion of the Basketball Association of the Philippines 18 months ago led to the FIBA suspension.

The ban effectively stopped the Philippines from all international competitions and subsequently the Philippines missed the Asian Games, the Southeast Asian Games and several other FIBA-sanctioned events, including the lowly Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) tournament.

SBP President Manny V. Pangilinan was informed of the lifting in a letter sent by Baumann from FIBA’s headquarters in Geneva yesterday.

"The lifting is the easier part. There’s a lot of hard work ahead," said Pangilinan during a press conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

Only a formal ratification from the FIBA on March 3 when the federation’s central board meets in Madrid, will the lifting become official.

"It is my pleasure to inform you that the Tokyo agreement has now been complied with and, as a consequence, the suspension on the Philippines is lifted," wrote Baumann. "At the same time, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas replaces the BAP as a duly-affiliated member of FIBA taking overall of its rights and obligations."

"These two resolutions will be submitted for ratification to the FIBA Central Board at its next meeting on 3 March 2007 in Madrid," said Baumann.

"The membership of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas federation with the FIBA is subject to the condition that the FIBA General Statutes and FIBA Internal Regulations as well as the by-laws that your federation has unanimously approved at the Unity Congress are fully and at all times complied within letter and spirit," said Baumann.

The lifting of suspension has so energized the SBP that it announced yesterday that it plans to send an all-PBA to the SEABA, a substandard competition among members of the SEA Games where the Philippines has won every title fielding college teams.

Asked if this was not an overkill, Pangilinan said: "Why take the chance? Some of the national teams are beefing up their lineups."

Ricky Vargas, PBA chairman and SBP vice chairman, was also in no mood to be kind.

"The PBA has made its recommendation and we will put an all-pro team. We want to get back with a vengeance," Vargas said.

The SEABA is the qualifying event for the FIBA-Asia championship, which is the qualifying tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"The POC as well as the Filipino basketball fans are sincerely grateful to all the basketball stakeholders who worked long and hard to put as back to the basketball map. Our special congratulations to the gallant effort of Manny V. Pangilinan, who remained steadfast and resolute," said Cojuangco in a statement yesterday.

Cojuangco suspended the BAP after the national basketball team which was to play in the SEABA in 2005, was beaten by a ragtag team from Paranaque in a tune-up game. The Paranaque team was made up of movie comedians and unknown players.

Shocked by the loss, the POC summoned BAP officials and were told to explain the cause of the debacle.

Unconvinced by the explanation, the POC expelled the BAP during a General Assembly that saw the vast majority of NSAs voting for its expulsion on June 30.

That was the start of the bitter power struggle.

The BAP raised the issue with the FIBA which suspended RP basketball but recognized BAP as the rightful member of the international federation.

Negotiations went back and forth over the next year and half with POC representatives going to Geneva, Tokyo and Bangkok to plead their case. BAP officials also did the same using their Asian connections to stay in power.

The breakthrough came last year during the World Basketball Championship in Saitama, Japan where the FIBA brokered a Memorandum of Agreement between the BAP and the SBP that led to the Tokyo Accord whose provisions will be the basis for lifting the suspension.

One such provision was the holding of the Unity Congress three weeks ago which Baumann attended and which finally led to yesterday’s lifting of the suspension.