Thursday, January 11, 2007 Support SBP, Cesafi urged By Mike Limpag Sun.Star Staff Reporter
THE SBP was formed to replace BAP as the national sports association for basketball in the Philippines and is supported by major stakeholders like the PBA and the PBL.
“The Cesafi is the only provincial league that is supporting SBP. Cesafi is not a BAP-supported league,” said Rep. Eduardo Gullas (Cebu, 1st district), who has been associated with basketball for more than 25 years, during a press conference at the University of the Visayas yesterday.
For RP basketball’s sake
“I urge them to make a stand in support of MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan) for the sake of Philippine basketball,” said Gullas.
In a related development, Cesafi president Oscar Tuazon is set to met the members of the board this Tuesday to discuss Gullas’ proposal.
Gullas also told Ricky Vargas, the PBA chairman, “That it’s about time that you have a provincial league that will be one of the pillars of the SBP.”
According to Gullas, Vargas is receptive of the idea and the SBP is, in fact, planning to hold their first congress in Cebu later this year.
“They are very much welcome here. I would volunteer to help it (congress).
I can talk to the people here in Cebu,” said Gullas, who steered the University of the Visayas Green Lancers to the National Inter-Collegiate title back in 1957.
Jinggoy’s moves
Gullas also lauded the moves of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and Pangilinan in forming a unified body for basketball in the country.
“By having a unified body, then we can have the sanction of Fiba( Federacion Internacional Basketball Amateur) lifted. We become a member in good standing again,” said Gullas.
The move to have a unified body was stalled anew after BAP deposed Estrada as its president. The BAP board said they were not consulted thoroughly when Estrada signed an agreement with Pangilinan last December in Hong Kong that could have paved the way for SBP to replace BAP.
