Literal leans on allies, junks FIBA proposal

As far as Quintellano "Tiny" Literal is concerned, the only way that the country could send a basketball team to the 21st Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur this September is for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to lift its suspension on the BAP and recognize his group as the legitimate one.

This scenario cropped up yesterday after Literal’s group, contesting the BAP leadership with the other faction headed by Gonzalo "Lito" Puyat, said they have no plans of entertaining a recent proposal by the FIBA for the two groups to settle the issue internally on or before Aug. 31 or let the International Olympic Committee (IOC) render a final decision.

The FIBA, through a letter signed by secretary-general Boris Stankovic, last July 24 presented the proposal to both groups and gave them until today to agree on it in writing. This would have allowed the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to beat the Aug. 11 deadline set by the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games Organizing Committee for the submission of official lineups.

Puyat’s group had earlier welcomed the FIBA proposal, therefore leaving the ball in the hands of Literal. "Please be informed that my group, which has always put the best interest of basketball and our country above all else, is in complete accord with your decision and hereby state our agreement with this procedure," a statement issued by Puyat said.

Instead of acting on the FIBA proposal, Literal last week went to Shanghai, China for the ABC men’s championship (where the Philippines was banned from competing as a result of the FIBA suspension) and an ABC Executive Council meeting. Joining Literal in that trip were his secretary-general Graham Lim and former POC president Cristy Ramos.

During the meeting, the ABC headed by Carl Ching Menky reaffirmed its recognition of the Literal faction. Also throwing their full support behind the Literal group were the three of the five FIBA zones – Asia, Europe and Oceania. This show of support, according to Literal, might force the FIBA to lift its suspension and recognize his group.

"We’ll just have to wait and see what the efforts of the three FIBA zones can do because we cannot discount the influence of the FIBA-Asia on the FIBA as a whole," said Literal yesterday. Lim is once again out of the country, this time in Malaysia purportedly to update the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games organizers of the recent development in Shanghai.