Ousted BAP forces SEAG issue, sues POC

Unable to persuade the Philippine Olympic Committee to reinstate the Basketball Association of the Philippines, officials of the ousted cage body decided to bring its case to the court in what they claim as a step that would enable the country to stage basketball in the coming Southeast Asian Games.

BAP counsel Bonifacio Alentajan yesterday said a complaint against POC president Jose Cojuangco Jr. and two other officials will be filed by BAP executive vice president Christian Tan and deputy secretary general Lito Alvarez before the Regional Trial Court of Manila at 10 a.m. today. The two other respondents are POC chairman Roberto Aventajado and POC secretary-general Steve Hontiveros.

The BAP, which the POC expelled from the roster early this year, said it hopes to get a favorable court ruling to enable the Philippines to participate in basketball in the SEA Games slated Nov. 27-Dec. 5 in Manila and three other venues.

This development came in the wake of the POC’s continued denial of the BAP’s request for reinstatement in the same manner that the ruling FIBA (International Basketball Federation) has repeatedly rejected the POC’s appeal to lift its own suspension on RP to allow it to stage basketball in the biennial meet.

The POC merely downplayed the latest BAP move.

"It’s more of a media mileage than a solution," said POC spokesman Joey Romasanta. "What will be their basis (in suing the POC) when the BAP no longer has the legal personality."

"If they are after a TRO (Temporary Restraining Order), what are they going to prevent from happening? Again, they don’t have the (legal) personality anymore. What are they doing is that they are just trying to make Mr.Cojuangco look bad," added Romasanta.

He said that Cojuangco did call a meeting among POC officials yesterday but the POC chief only stressed the need to concentrate on the successful staging of the SEA Games as well as the lesser-known sports that are also expected to produce gold medals for the country.

Hontiveros, for his part, said that expelling the BAP was an option of the group’s General Assembly, which voted unanimously the expulsion of the said association.

"It’s the POC option to expel them (BAP). It’s up to them if they want to sue us," said Hontiveros, who is currently in Macau attending the East Asian Games as official of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

The row between the POC and the BAP forced the FIBA to ban the Philippines from participating in FIBA-sanctioned events, including the SEA Games where the Filipinos are fancied to dominate again.

BAP president Joey Lina two weeks ago reiterated his appeal to the POC to reconsider its decision expelling the 70-year-old national sports association in an effort to resolve the controversy and allow the country to stage the sport in the SEAG.

Although it is the POC, as a collegial body, that will decide whether or not to reinstate the BAP, Cojuangco has said time and again that he will resign as POC chief if the BAP will be allowed to re-join the POC family again. – Abac Cordero