BAP row resumes as SEABA war ends

Barely a day after the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) guests had left, the war in the Basketball Association resumed.

Quintellano "Tiny" Literal was elected president of the BAP for the fourth time, but officials of the BAP led by Freddie Jalasco, said the "election" was devoid of authority and therefore, "again" illegal.

Twenty-three of 25 board members present cast their ballots in Literal’s favor in elections held at the Century Park Sheraton. The Literal group said the presence of POC representative Reynaldo Jaylo of judo should give the proceedings legitimacy.

One vote went to Jalasco and another went to BAP acting president Gonzalo Puyat II.

Puyat and secretary general Nicanor Jorge said the group’s action was "a blatant display of arrogance and disrespect for the country’s supreme authority on sports."

Puyat said the Philippine Olympic Committee Executive Board had resolved that a BAP election be "conducted pursuant to the outstanding BAP Constitution and for the purposes of expediency, by using the composition of the BAP National Board existing at the time of Mr. Jalasco’s election in the year 2000."

With regard to the April 7 "election" communicated to the POC last April 2 by Graham Lim, "elected" by the Literal group as its secretary general, Puyat said POC secretary general Romeo Ribano had imparted to Lim the POC "advice" that "In order to avoid repetition of the problem…we suggest that you follow strictly the provisions of your Constitution."