RP begs off from hosting SEABA tiff

Philippine basketball is beginning to suffer the impact of the ongoing leadership crisis in the Basketball Association of the Philippines.

The Philippines has withdrawn its hosting of the Southeast Asian Amateur Basketball Association (SEABA) tournament in March.

The leadership being disputed by Freddie Jalasco and Quintellano "Tiny" Literal has reached the courts. Participating schools do not know whether the intercollegiate championships to be held later this month will push through, since Literal’s group is staging it and the Jalasco group is calling up schools not to compete in it.

The Philippine Olympic Committee, angry at both parties’ refusal to make a com-promise, has threatened to scrap the Philippine team to this year’s Southeast Asian Games.

After the Philippine Olympic Committee recognized Jalasco as the legitimate BAP head in an attempt to resolve the leadership crisis, now comes the issue concerning the hosting of the fourth SEABA Men’s Championship.

In a letter to SEABA and Asian Basketball Confederation secretary-general Datu Yeoh Choo Hock, Jalasco’s BAP withdrew its previous commitment of hosting the biennial event, originally set March 9-15 in Manila.

Jalasco’s group, which met the other day, cited the lack of financial backing and the leadership crisis which hit the association as reasons for its sudden decision.

Those who attended the meeting were MBA’s Ogie Narvasa, PBA’s Ricky Palou, PBL’s Chino Trinidad, vice president for Visayas and Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas, deputy secretary-general and NCR director Tito Tagle and executive board member and legal counsel Brigido Dulay.

BAP chairman Lito Puyat, vice president for Luzon Jaime Dechavez and Literal did not attend the meeting. No representative from the UAAP and NCAA were also present in the affair.

Literal’s group, however, claimed that the SEABA event will push through as planned contrary to Jalasco’s claim that BAP will not host it.

"We have talked with Mr. Yeoh Choo Hock just this morning (yesterday) confirming that we will host the SEABA Men’s Championship," said Literal after attending a hearing in his suit filed against Jalasco and four top-ranked POC officials which included POC president Celso Dayrit.

Meanwhile, the Manila court has asked the lawyers of both contending parties to submit their respective memorandum on Literal’s petition.

Literal sought court intervention to restrain Jalasco from acting as BAP president.