ANOTHER test of its authority falls on the officials of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi).
Cesafi officials are once more in a fix on how to keep its member schools in line now that the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) will hold the Cebu Zonals elimination for the 2008 National Students Basketball Championship.
“I would like to reiterate that the board resolution penned last year forbidding Cesafi member schools from competing in non-Basketball Association of the Philippines-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (BAP-SBP)-sanctioned competitions remains,” said Cesafi commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy during last Tuesday night’s staging of the Partners Cup in Inayawan Gym.
Cesafi is a stakeholder of BAP-SBP, the national sports association that replaced BAP, which still exists.
“We do not need to tell them not to play,” said Tiukinhoy, after he was informed by Cesafi president Rolly Villa that no invitation ever reached their office.
Cesafi officials and its member schools seem headed for another clash just like what happened with the Visayas Amateur Athletic Association (VAAA).
Despite the board resolution, three schools joined VAAA and the three schools in turn were snubbed when Cesafi started the Reinforced Partners Cup.
Four Cesafi-member schools, led by seven-time defending champion University of the Visayas, will be taking part in the Cebu Zonals set to open on Jan. 12 and their participation poses a problem for the Cesafi honchos.
Organizer
UV head coach Elmer “Boy” Cabahug yesterday confirmed to Sun.Star Cebu they are joining the Cebu Zonals, which is supposed to be the qualifying for the 2008 National Students Basketball Championships (NSBC), a BAP competition which will be hosted by Cebu.
Organizer Lorenzo “Chao” Sy, who is the Cebu Province head for BAP-SBP and the Region 7 director of BAP, earlier said the competition will promise more exciting matches as it will feature schools from the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
However, a check with BAP-SBP executive director Patrick Gregorio says otherwise.
“That (Cebu Zonals) is not sanctioned by BAP-SBP. He (Sy) never cleared it with me. What is that? Is that a cycling competition?” said Gregorio.
Like the Cesafi, the UAAP and NCAA are stakeholders of BAP-SBP and are likewise barred from joining non-sanctioned events.
Sy, however, clarified that he did not have the competition sanctioned because he wanted all interested teams to join, regardless of affiliation.
“No affiliations, nor organizations. I am just doing this for the love for basketball,” said Chao.
Sy added that when Prospero Pichay (new BAP president) asked him to spearhead the organization of the league, he immediately said yes out of respect and for his passion for the sport.
Sy said that while he failed to inform Gregorio, he saw to it that he informs Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba, who is the regional head of BAP-SBP.
“He (Alcoseba) gave me the go signal. I was not able to inform Gregorio because he is in Manila,” Sy said.
Sy also pleaded to stop making issues out of things because he is merely trying to give an avenue for local players to compete. “This competition is open to any school who is interested. If they want to join, they can. If they don’t they have the option not to,” he said. (MCB)
