A dangerous precedent

It’s finally over. Quinteliano (Tiny) Literal has been proclaimed as the duly-elected Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) president. A three-man panel assembled by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) supervised the conduct of the poll at the Century Park Sheraton Hotel last Sunday.

For the last nine months, the BAP was wracked by a leadership crisis that led to FIBA suspending the Philippines from competing in international tournaments. That’s why the Philippines failed to participate in the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) Championships held in Shanghai last month.

No less than six elections–all disputed–were held to settle the issue. The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) initially recognized Gonzalo (Lito) Puyat as president but backtracked when Literal, the other presidential claimant, sought redress from the courts. Literal won in five of the six polls before FIBA decided to intervene.

The Court of Appeals later ruled that the POC has absolute jurisdiction in resolving disputes in sports.

Despite the ruling, the POC didn’t assert its authority in settling the BAP row. Instead, the POC took the path of least resistance and allowed FIBA to intervene in a decision that smacked of gutlessness. Apparently, the POC lost its backbone in the muddle.

The POC’s unwillingness to take a stand has set a dangerous precedent that could turn it into a lameduck. What will now stop some other National Sports Association from bypassing the POC or ignoring its authority in an issue of dispute and going straight to its international federation (IF) for recourse? What if in such an issue of dispute, the POC is rebuffed by the IF?

FIBA’s intervention to resolve a local squabble delivered a message of disrepute on the POC. Who will take the POC seriously from now on?

The POC had a golden opportunity to step in and hold its head up when FIBA deputy secretary general Patrick Baumann, ABC president Carl Men Ky Ching and ABC secretary general Yeoh Choo Hock flew in Sunday morning to conduct the BAP elections. It could’ve told the panel that Filipinos are capable of solving their own problems without resorting to external arbitration. It could’ve salvaged whatever pride was left of the POC.

But the POC blew it. Instead of rising to the occasion, the POC retreated and shrunk into a corner. The POC decided to wash its hands off the dispute like Pilate. It backed off.

As for the elections, Literal must take credit for doing what he had to do to win. He knew what buttons to push and where the pressure points were. With his allies, Literal flew to Shanghai to confer with Ching during the ABC Championships. Ching clearly appreciated the effort of reaching out to him and reciprocated the gesture by sponsoring an ABC Executive Board resolution backing up Literal. Then, Literal went to Saitama, Japan, to explain his side to FIBA secretary general Borislav Stankovic during the World Junior Championships. Ching accompanied Literal in the meeting with Stankovic.

Puyat realized too late that he couldn’t bank on just the POC’s support. Last week, he flew to Hong Kong to appeal to Ching for a compromise. But the die was cast. Ching wouldn’t budge–he’d already committed to Literal.

No doubt, Ching was the key to it all. He’s next in line to become FIBA president and Stankovic knew better than to go against the man who controls over 40-member nations in the ABC.

During last Sunday’s deliberations, former ABC secretary general Mauricio (Moying) Martelino– speaking in Puyat’s behalf–tried to push for a "power-sharing" scheme. He proposed to manage the BAP under a committee of three composed of a Chairman and two members. His idea was to tap Philippine Long Distance Tel. Co. Chief Executive Officer Manuel Pangilinan as Chairman and Puyat and Literal as members. Literal rejected it, arguing that Pangilinan is identified with Puyat’s group, and suggested Antonio Abaya as Chairman instead. Martelino refused to accept Abaya because of his affiliation to Literal. With no agreement in sight, the arbitration panel decided to call for an election.

Martelino said he couldn’t get to first base in convincing the panel to broker a compromise without an election because Ching wouldn’t allow it.

"It was a useless exercise–the panel had decided to hold an election before hearing both sides," said Martelino. "It was a zarzuela."

The consolation is FIBA has lifted the BAP’s suspension, clearing the way for the Philippines to play basketball at the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur starting Saturday.

For Literal, the struggle has just begun. Now, it’s up to him to prove he won’t back down like the POC and put the BAP house in order. He’s got to harness the support of the country’s major leagues and encourage the leaders of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), Philippine Basketball League (PBL), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) to participate in the BAP’s affairs.

Forget calling Literal "Tiny." He’s the "Big Man" in the BAP now.