BAP leadership row: Will it be Literal or Jalasco?

The Philippine Olympic Committee’s arbitration committee is expected to come up with a final recommendation today on which faction within the Basketball Association of the Philippines — the one headed by Freddie Jalasco or the other led by Quintellano "Tiny" Literal — will be duly recognized by the country’s governing body for sports.

Committee head Claudio Altura, president of the national boardsailing association, will be joined by Rollie Rivera of softball and Benjie Ramos of rowing in the 1 p.m. meeting where Jalasco and Literal will lay all their cards on the table to support their claims to the highest post of the BAP.

Once the committee comes up with its final recommendation, it will be forwarded to POC president Celso Dayrit for approval. It will be a winner-take-all contest between Jalasco and Literal, with the final POC decision also helping the PSC headed by chairman Carlos Tuason to decide on where its financial assistance would go.

Dayrit said the leadership crisis hounding the BAP will not in any way affect the national team because "regardless of which side prevails, it’s still the same team that will represent the country in the SEA Games" scheduled this September in Kuala Lumpur where the Philippines will try to retain the title.

Literal, who was "elected" BAP president last Jan. 17, earlier said that he does not have faith on the POC arbitration committee since he expects Jalasco to get a favorable treatment, being a member of the POC executive board.

He was also appointed by Dayrit as chief of mission of the RP contingent to the Kuala Lumpur Games.

Jalasco, for his part, refused to look at the issue in the same manner as Literal does.

"As far as I’m concerned, the final recommendation really lies on the committee. I have submitted my documents to prove my claim on the BAP presidency and so I’m letting the POC decide on this based on the recommendation of the committee," he said.

Jalasco said there is nothing more he can do if ever Literal refuses to go by the POC decision.

"Wala na akong magagawa kung ganyan pa din ang iisipin niya gawin. Our group has extended everything to him and in fact, I’ve asked him to rejoin the real BAP because they are just being misled in this leadership dispute," he said.