Stakeholders confident RP to be reinstated

Pilipinas Basketball top proponents Noli Eala and Chino Trinidad expressed confidence their meeting with Fiba secretary general Patrick Baumann next week in Seoul, Korea would pave the way for the reinstatement of the country in the Fiba rolls.

Eala said they have received confirmation of their conference with Baumann on April 4 through a communication from Baumann’s office they received Monday.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr. sought the meeting with the Fiba sec-gen coinciding with the 15th Association of National Olympic Committee General Assembly and the International Olympic Committee Executive Board meeting in Seoul. Baumann is coming in from Australia where he observed the conduct of the basketball competition in the Commonwealth Games.

The POC president is bringing along major stakeholders in Philippine basketball in the meeting. The PBA, for one, will come in full force, counting the presence of league board chairman Ely Capacio, vice chairman Ricky Vargas and Eala.

"I don’t think Mr. Baumann is unreasonable. He’ll see through the realities no matter what the other side says. As they say truth shall set you free. We’ll be vindicated," said Eala during yesterday’s PSA Forum at the Pantalan Restaurant in Manila.

"We’ve followed everything asked of us by the Fiba from crafting a new constitution and by-laws with the tenets invoked by Fiba in its memorandum of understanding with the POC to putting a constitution that is more than they’ve asked for," Eala added.

Trinidad, meanwhile, said that the absence of BAP president Joey Lina, who had abandoned the stakeholders in the meeting, will not work against their mission to seek reinstatement for the country. "We’re confident Mr. Baumann will see through all this, that one man doesn’t make an entire federation."

On the possibility of their application for Fiba membership being turned down, Eala and Trinidad said blame should not be put on them.

"We’ve done our part. . We’re asked to come together, we came together. We’re asked to put up an organization, we put that organization. We’re asked to follow basic democratic principles, and we followed that. What has the BAP done? They even admitted, their constitution is flawed and that’s saying it mildly," said Eala.

Meanwhile, PBA governor Lito Alvarez, representing Air21, yesterday warned Eala of the implications of his active participation in Pilipinas Basketball.

"I have made it clear with the PBA board that this is a very sensitive issue, which the PBA as an organization, should not dip its hands into," said Alvarez, BAP spokesman and deputy secretary-general.