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Friday, February 10, 2006
POC heeds Gullas’ call to include provinces
THE Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) must include basketball organizations in the provinces as major stakeholders when it creates a new basketball body in accordance with the memorandum of agreement (MOA) it forged with the International Basketball Federation (Fiba).
This is the call of provincial basketball officials as the MOA the POC signed with Fiba last year only included the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Philippine Basketball League (PBL), Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), National Colleges Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) as “stakeholders of Philippine basketball.”
The BAP was involved in a clash with the POC, which resulted to its banishment from the Olympic body. This in turn led to the suspension of the Philippines from Fiba.
Fiba secretary-general Patrick Baumann said Fiba will lift the suspension after the POC creates a new basketball body, which includes the PBA, PBL, UAAP, NCAA and BAP as stakeholders.
Manila based
The five stakeholders are all based in Manila, prompting many provincial basketball officials to criticize the MOA, signed by POC president Jose Cojuangco Jr. when he visited the Fiba headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland in October last year
“How can they call it one unified body if those involved are only from Manila,” said Cebu First District Rep. Eduardo R. Gullas, who is also the president of basketball powerhouse University of the Visayas. “How about the other provinces?”
Gullas, a decorated basketball coach himself during his prime, urged Cojuango and vice president Monico Puentevella to involve the other provinces.
Gullas voiced his concern to the POC top guns during Wednesday’s meeting of the House Committee on Youth and Sports presided by its chairman Rep. Renato “Kuya Jojo” Unico Jr.
“The provinces are very active in the propagation of the sport so I think it’s not good not to involve them. To include their voice is very important,” said Gullas.
Gullas cited Northern and Southern Luzon, the Bicol region, Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo, and Nothern and Southern Mindanao, particularly Davao and Cagayan de Oro, as among those that should be involved in the formation of a new cage body.
Positive feedback
Gullas is hopeful his request will be properly addressed as it received positive feedback from Cojuangco and Puentevella, who promised to accept the suggestion of the Cebuano solon as it is “very timely, valid, and relevant.”
Puentevella said they agreed with Gullas’ suggestion as no national organization can survive without the support of the provinces.
“We agree with the suggestion of Rep. Gullas that to be a genuine national basketball association, it is very relevant to get the support of the other provinces. How can a national organization survive if only Manila is involved?” said Puentevella, representative of Bacolod City’s lone district.
“Actually, it’s already OK in principle. We’ve got the message of Rep. Gullas and we’re in the same direction,” said Puentevella.
Puentevella said they will surely bring up the matter when the POC sits down with the officials of the country’s major stakeholders next week.
Fiba has given the POC only until next month to form a new basketball body so it will lift the suspension on the Philippines. The ban was the reason why basketball was not included in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, which the country hosted last year.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (February 10, 2006 issue)
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