Sunday, March 30, 2008 BAP chairman lashes at BAP-SBP
BASKETBALL Association of the Philippines (BAP) chairman and Camarines Sur 2nd district congressman Luis Villafuerte expressed his disappointment over the continued neglect of his duty as the concurrent chairman of the BAP-Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas.
In his letter dated March 27 to BAP-SBP president Manny Pangilinan, which was also faxed to Sun.Star Cebu, Villafuerte brought up the issue of disregarding his role as the chairman of the “unified” organization.
“Regrettably, however, I have never been invited to the BAP-SBP Board. Accordingly, the SBP under your leadership has deliberately and in gross bad faith ignored my role as chairman of the BAP-SBP in spite of the written stipulation in the Bangkok Agreement that the Chairman of the BAP-SBP was the nominee of the BAP. Newspaper stories and photographs bannered my election as the BAP-SBP Chairman,” Villafuerte said.
However, BAP-SBP secretary general Patrick Gregorio said Villafuerte was disqualified due to a technicality.
“He is not part of the original 12-man board of BAP. BAP must change its lineup and institute him as the one who must sit in the board. Nothing personal,” Gregorio said in a text message to Sun.Star Cebu.
Villafuerte also cited seven serious breaches of the Bangkok Agreement that were committed against BAP and its officers.
This includes BAP-SBP’s refusal to recognize his election as chairman, continued refusal to recognize new nominees from BAP to the BAP-SBP Board of Trustees, the formation of a new corporation as beneficiary for the funding assistance from Tao Corporation, the harassment and threat to boycott the recently concluded 62nd National Students Basketball Championship.
The expulsion of basketball patron Lorenzo “Chao” Sy as the Cebu Province director of the BAP-SBP, the impositions of “unnecessary” conditions on BAP-affiliated members and the lack of accomplishment of the BAP-SBP to promote Philippine basketball.
Villafuerte also said he is now considering to call an election next month “in order to precipitate reorganization.”
However, Gregorio said, “No need to lose sleep. MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan) is doing his job and people know he is doing it well.” (RCM with MCB)
