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THE Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP), in its
last-ditch effort to keep the unified BAP-SBP intact, issued a
manifesto urging businessman Manny Pangilinan and other members to
attend its first regular election of officers on June 4.
BAP President Prospero “Butch” Pichay and
Chairman Rep. Luis Villafuerte led the call and signing of the
manifesto in a BAP national congress attended by 56 members at the Mayon
Room of the Century Park Hotel.
The election originally set Saturday will also
be held at the Century Park Hotel.
“The election that we are going to have is to
implement the agreement signed by Pangilinan and BAP officials and
attended by FIBA Secretary-General Patrick Baumann in Bangkok,
Thailand on February 4, 2007,” said Villafuerte.
Aside from Baumann, a Swiss, Villafuerte cited
FIBA-Asia President Sheik Saud Bin Al-Thani of Qatar and
Secretary-General Dato Yeoh Choo Hock of Malaysia as among the
witnesses during the agreement.
“This manifesto signed by at least 56 of the
original 66 members that we have is a manifestation to our
sincerity to the Bangkok agreement,” added Villafuerte.
Pichay said that if Pangilinan and company
won’t show up on June 4, they would proceed with the election as
stated in the agreement in Bangkok.
“The agreement in Bangkok gave us only
one-year transitory period. It is already overdue,” Pichay said.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas headed by
Pangilinan has scheduled its own election on June 12 at the PLDT
Tower in Makati City.
-- Frank Calapre
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