Monday, January 29, 2007 Sayson: Atan Guardo backs SBP, chides BAP By Homer Sayson Second overtime
CHICAGO — As the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) continue to lock horns for the right to win Fiba’s official recognition, Atan Guardo has quietly watched over the sidelines.
But with the Olympic qualifying tournament set this coming July, the former Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) chairman decided to release the mute button and press the alarm.
“It’s impossible to stay idle when there’s so much at stake,” Guardo told me over the phone yesterday.
“Basketball was scrapped in the 2005 Seag, which we hosted. And that was incredibly sad since we were the five-time defending champions. But it will be tragic if our country will be robbed of the opportunity to play in the qualifying tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympics,” Guardo said.
“That would be tantamount to dishonoring one of the cherished virtues of the Olympic Games, which is the simple act of participating,” he explained.
If Atan Guardo sounds a little pained, well, that’s because he truly is. You see, Guardo is a lover of all sports, but basketball has always been closer to his heart. He was president of the CBL in 2001, earning praise for his passion and leadership. He owned a team in the PBL in 2002 and in the defunct MBA in 2003. Presently, Atan has a team playing in the NBC.
In explaining his position, Guardo explained: “I’m 100 percent behind the SBP. It’s run by highly qualified people who are bereft of personal agendas. Manny Pangilinan and his group bear honest intentions for the welfare of Philippine basketball, including our standing in the international community. I will do whatever I can to support them.”
Guardo did not mince words when talking about the BAP, particularly it’s secretary-general, Graham Lim.
“I’ve had a working relationship with Lim before, when I was still CBL president and we brought international players to Cebu. I know that Lim has close ties with some Fiba executives, an influence he may have presumably used to have the BAP continually recognized by the Fiba.
“But what the Fiba needs to see is that the BAP has lost its credibility. Besides the perfunctory sanctioning of tournaments here and there, the BAP has not done anything significant in recent years and I can’t think of any program it has launched concerning basketball development and the like.
“Lim keeps saying that he loves Philippine basketball. He can best prove that by making the ultimate sacrifice and let it go. End the rift and surrender Fiba’s recognition to the uniquely capable hands of Pangilinan and the SBP.”
Doing that, however, is a lot easier said than done. The BAP and SBP hate each other like Iran and Iraq.
“The BAP won’t go down without a fight. Lim is a desperate guy and desperate guys will cling to whatever they can put their hands on. I think Lim is too drunk with power, but it’s time that he sober up and do something else,” Guardo said. “When we have a tangled mess like this, there’s really little we can do but pray and hope for the best,” he added, heaving a sigh of frustration. “But you know what? This is the proverbial battle between good and evil. And in the end, I keep the faith that the SBP will prevail.” That is a sentiment shared by millions of Filipinos, who believe that the Philippines should not only be represented in international basketball tournaments, but represented honorably by sending a team loaded with the most possible talent.
That goal can only be achieved if our country will have only one basketball body. One organization. One flag. Fiercely united in its cause, singular in its purpose. The solution sounds complicated, but it really isn’t. Guardo sums it up in just three bold letters— “S.B.P.”
