PSC won’t re-open BAP office

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Butch Ramirez yesterday said the re-opening of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) office will depend on the results of the ongoing talks between the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the BAP.

Ramirez said the BAP, now under a new president in Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, is trying to patch things up with the POC, led by its president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco. The two high-profile leaders met over dinner last Thursday at the Manila Peninsula Hotel.

Brought up in the meeting was the BAP’s reinstatement as a regular member of the POC as well as its major representation in the newly formed Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas.

Neither issue, which could supersede one another, was settled although both Estrada and Cojuangco agreed to keep their communication lines open.

The BAP, a 70-year-old institution, was expelled from the POC last year, leading to the creation of a new group which is Pilipinas Basketball, led by Bernie Atienza, and eventually the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas with businessman Manny V. Pangilinan at the helm.

Ramirez said whatever comes out of the POC-BAP talks will help the government sports agency decide whether or not it would re-open the BAP office at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex which is being run by the PSC.

The PSC provides financial assistance to all national sports associations (NSAs) recognized by the POC and their respective international federations (IFs). The use of offices at the sports complex is another privilege granted by the PSC to these NSAs.

The BAP office was padlocked last June at the height of the basketball controversy that forced the International Basketball Federation or FIBA to place the Philippines under suspension.

The PSC said the office would remain closed until the problems hounding the sport are solved.

Since then, the BAP has held office at the Cityland Condominium fronting the historic sports complex. The BAP announced last Friday that Ramirez had already agreed to re-open the padlocked office.

In fact, the BAP said Estrada will be at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex tomorrow afternoon to personally witness the re-opening of the BAP office.

But Ramirez told The STAR that the re-opening will depend on the ongoing talks between Cojuangco and Estrada.

"What Senator Estrada and I agreed upon was that the office will be re-opened once the BAP reconciles with the POC. I told the good senator that if that happens today or tomorrow, the office will be immediately re-opened.

"There’s a rule to follow and I think Senator Estrada knows this. So I’m really hoping that the BAP and the POC will come to an agreement. Then we will re-open the office," said Ramirez.

Pangilinan has agreed to serve as chairman and president of SBP. But the BAP said it would be better if the PLDT and Smart big boss takes the role as chairman, and leave the presidency to Estrada, who recently replaced Joey Lina as BAP head.