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Thursday, November 03, 2005
Law suit waste of time - POC
By Frank C. Calapre
Sun.Star Correspondent
MANILA – For the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the case filed by Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) against the POC is only “complicating” the issue.
The BAP yesterday sought the intervention of the Manila Regional Trial Court for its immediate reinstatement in the POC before the 23rd Southeast Asian Games (Seag) officially starts on Nov. 27.
BAP legal counsel Bonifacio Alentajan filed the civil case for mandatory injunction in behalf of executive vice president Christian Tan and deputy secretary general Angelito Alvarez, charging POC president Jose Cojuangco and chairman Robert Aventajado of illegal expulsion. Also named respondent was POC secretary general Steve Hontiveros.
Last option
The POC, in a vote of 33-3, expelled the BAP in a special general assembly last June 30. The controversy stemmed from the alleged refusal of the BAP to honor a previous commitment with the POC to put up an all-professional RP national team to be mentored by PBA coach Chot Reyes.
“This is our last option. We were illegally expelled without reason and without even formal notification of our wrongdoings,” Alentajan said after filing the case early in the morning on All Souls Day. “The court is our last resort when we seek for fairness and justice.”
He said that the reinstatement of the BAP is the only way the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) will lift the suspension on the Philippines, which in turn will allow the country to hold the basketball event in the 11-nation meet.
Still recognized
Alentajan said that it may take at least 20 days before the Manila RTC can resolve the problem, or just five days before from the Seag opens.
“I’m expecting a schedule of the preliminary hearing for the mandatory injunction after two days and they (POC) may have 15 days to answer our pleadings,” he said.
For his part, Aventajado said they are ready to face the charges.
“We’ll meet them in court,” Aventajado said. “POC legal counsel Ding Tanjuatco will take care of it. They’re just making it complicated.”
(November 3, 2005 issue)
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