Eddiegul urges CESAFI to strongly support SBP

Cebu First District Representative and revered basketball patron Eduardo "Eddiegul" R. Gullas has urged the Cebu Schools Amateur Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) to strongly support the initiatives of businessman-sportsman Manny Pangilinan and Senator Jinggoy Estrada to form the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP).

SBP, which is composed of the country's major stakeholders in the sport, has been created to resolve the long standing feud in basketball that resulted in FIBA suspending the Philippines from taking part in FIBA-sanctioned events for three years now.

"I am urging the CESAFI to pass up a resolution expressing they are in full accord with the initiatives of the SBP. They should come out openly in favor of SBP," said Gullas in a press conference yesterday at his office at the University of the Visayas (UV) where he serves as its president.

"Having a unified basketball body, we can have the FIBA sanction lifted and we can again be a FIBA member of good standing," added Gullas, who described Pangilinan and Estrada as "very sacrificing lovers of Philippine basketball."

In a telephone conversation with Gullas, CESAFI Board president Engr. Oscar Tuason of Cebu Doctors' University assured the sports-minded Cebuano lawmaker to take up the matter in their board meeting this Tuesday evening.

Gullas, who was in basketball since he steered the UV Green Lancers to win the National Inter-Collegiate title in late '50s that earned him "Coach of the Year" award by the Philippine Free Press, said the CESAFI deserves to be one of the pillars of SBP being the premiere amateur cage league outside of Manila.

"It's time to have a provincial league that will be a pillar of SBP and it is only CESAFI being the premiere basketball league outside of Manila. CESAFI has 11 member schools and has a regular development program for basketball," said Gullas.

"I've already talked to MVP (Pangilinan), POC chairman Jose "Peping" Cojuangco, and PBA chairman Ricky Vargas regarding the inclusion of CESAFI in the SBP and they're all positive. They told me the provincial league which they are going to recognize is the CESAFI," bared Gullas.

In its arduous quest to gain accreditation from the Philippine Olympic Committee that will eventually result to the lifting of FIBA suspension on RP basketball, SBP somehow suffered a drawback following the withdrawal of BAP from the FIBA-mandated merger, leaving the PBA, UAAP, PBl, NCAA and other leagues outside Manila to form a unified cage body.

This came after BAP fired Estrada as its president for entering into an agreement with SBP without consultation from the BAP, which is still recognized by FIBA despite its expulsion from the POC.

But even without the BAP, SBP will continue with its efforts in forming a unified cage body that is the lone hope for the possible return of the Philippines in international competitions.

Meanwhile, Gullas revealed the SBP Congress is most likely to be held here in Cebu City late this month.

"They're planning to hold the SBP Congress here in Cebu by the end of the month. That is much welcome by the Cebuano basketball fans. I volunter to help it," said Gullas.