FIBA: Conditional end to ban okayed

With the impending merger of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) and Pilipinas Basketball (PB) to form a unified body recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the way is clear for the Federation Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) to lift the country’s suspension.

BAP president Joey Lina and PB president Bernie Atienza signed a joint communiqué to affirm the settlement of the yearlong leadership dispute after an eight-hour meeting in Tokyo the other day.

The FIBA Central Board took up the joint communiqué during its 10th meeting yesterday and expressed satisfaction that "all parties are unifying their efforts in a tight schedule to end this conflict and allow Philippine basketball to enter again into international competitions shortly."

The Central Board turned down a motion to lift the suspension immediately and instead, decided on a conditional end to the ban. It said the suspension will be lifted by Sept. 30 or earlier once the merged organization is launched as a democratic, countrywide and mass-based representation of various sectors involved in the sport, a National Congress is convened and officers are elected.

Assigned by the Board to monitor the implementation of the joint communiqué are FIBA president Bob Elphinston, secretary-general Patrick Baumann and FIBA-Asia secretary-general Dato Yeoh Choo Hock.

POC first vice president and Rep. Monico Puentevella, who played a key role in forging the agreement, called the coming to terms a breakthrough for Philippine basketball.

"It took us one whole day among ourselves and five hours with FIBA to reach this important decision," said Puentevella. "Let us not waste it. We are given a chance to move forward. It’s about time we start winning games again. Maybe, in the next Asian Games for the glory of our beloved country."

Puentevella said if the opposing Filipino cage officials weren’t as determined to resolve their differences, nothing would’ve been accomplished in the Tokyo trip.

"Thank God we united here in Japan," said Puentevella. "Let us not lose this momentum. We have one month to do it. Let’s start now. All for the love of the game."

Baumann summoned the representatives of the POC, BAP and PB to Japan where FIBA held its 212-nation World Congress and Central Board meetings during the World Championship.

FIBA constituted a special commission to confer with the Filipino delegates in an effort to end the impasse and even provided a special conference room at the Prince Park Tower Hotel in Tokyo for the opposing parties to resolve their differences.

The commission was made up of Elphinston, Baumann, Dato Yeoh, outgoing FIBA president Dr. Carl Ching Meng Ky and secretary-general emeritus Dr. Borislav Stankovic.

The first meeting lasted three hours last Sunday but failed to arrive at a compromise solution. The next day, the Filipino delegates agreed to settle the issue and finally came to terms, drafting a joint communiqué to detail their points of agreement.

The commission reviewed the joint communiqué and gave its stamp of approval. It recommended to the Central Board for Baumann "to immediately lift the suspension by Sept. 30 or earlier, once the agreement is fulfilled."

"The commission expresses its satisfaction that a solution is found for the good of Filipino basketball by which all sides have made important concessions to unify basketball under one structure only within 30 days," said a FIBA report from Tokyo.