Jalasco mulls ouster of two RP coaches for taking sides

For defying the Philippine Olympic Committee and openly siding with his rival group, Basketball Association of the Philippines president Freddie Jalasco is seriously considering sacking David Zamar and Bay Cristobal as coaches of the national cage teams.

BAP sources said that Jalasco, the POC-recognized chief of the cage body, was furious as he admonished Zamar, the men’s team mentor, and Cristobal, who handles the women’s squad, for bonding together to support the other BAP faction headed by Quintellano Literal.

Zamar arrived recently in Manila from a series of exhibition matches in the Visayas where the RP men's squad played tune-up games against some MBA teams as part of their preparations for various international competitions.

This came about as Jalasco drew a commitment from the Basketball Referees Commission (Barecom) that it will stay neutral and remain independent of any group until the leadership crisis in the beleaguered association is resolved.

"I’ve talked with the Barecom people and they gave me a commitment that they will not take sides," said Jalasco, who was accompanied by executive vice president and MBA commissioner Ogie Narvasa and deputy secretary-general Tito Tagle.

Jalasco’s move with the Barecom, a group which boasts of about 2,000 referees, was viewed by many as part of a series of loyalty checks in his dispute for the BAP post with Literal.

Zamar and Cristobal have openly declared that they are recognizing Literal as the legitimate BAP head despite the POC’s recent ruling recognizing Jalasco as the official BAP chief. They even led a rally supporting Literal at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex last January.

Jalasco is expected to meet Zamar and Cristobal in the next few days.

As this developed, Literal’s group sanctioned four referees with indefinite suspensions allegedly for forcibly entering the BAP office currently occupied by Literal and company.

The four and Tagle are also being charged of robbery amounting to P100,000 which Literal claimed came from a sponsor of the national squad. — J. Villar