fiba finally lifts philippines’ suspension!

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A new beginning dawned on Philippine basketball Wednesday. The Federation Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) finally lifted its two-year suspension on the Philippines, paving the way for the country’s participation in various international tournaments, including two major events serving as qualifiers to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. BAP-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan relayed the piece of good news after receiving the official correspondence from no less than FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann. “It is my pleasure to confirm you that the Tokyo Agreement has now been complied with and, as a consequence, the suspension on the Philippines is now lifted,” part of Baumann’s February 20 letter to Pangilinan stated. “At the same time, the BAP-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Inc. replaces the Basketball Association of the Philippines as a duly affiliated member of FIBA, taking over all of its rights and obligations,” Baumann added. The FIBA secretary-general said the two resolutions will be submitted to the FIBA Central Board when it meets on March 3 in Madrid. Now that the easier part is over, Pangilinan admitted the daunting task begins. “I think the lifting (of the suspension) is the easier part given the task ahead. Marami pa dapat tayong gawin dahil marami tayong na-neglect,” said the telecommunications tycoon during an impromptu press conference held at the Araneta Coliseum prior to Game 5 of the 2006-07 Talk N text PBA Philippine Cup finals between Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel. Joining Pangilinan during the conference were PBA commissioner Noli Eala, PBA chairman and BAP-SBP vice-chairman Ricky Vargas, BAP-SBP Board of Trustee member Junjun Capistrano, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, BAP-SBP adviser, and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) spokesperson Joey Romasanta, representing POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. “The POC as well as all Filipino basketball fans are sincerely grateful to the basketball stakeholders who all worked hard to put us back on the basketball map again,” said Romasanta, reading the official statement coming from the POC. “Cong. Peping is definitely relieved now that this is over,” Romasanta added. “Now we have to buckle down to work.” Work means forming, preparing and training the RP men’s team to the South East Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) championship this summer in Bangkok, where the top two teams would represent the region to the FIBA-Asia men’s championship and Olympic qualifier in Tokushima, Japan in July. An all-pro team will be sent to the SEABA to be handled by coach Chot Reyes. “This is our first international tournament abroad after two years, so we wanna go back with a vengeance. We want to go back at winning, so why take chances,” said Vargas in defending the stand of the association to send the best players to the biennial meet. The Philippines was suspended by FIBA in 2005 following the POC expulsion of the BAP, preventing the country from competing in major cage tournaments such as the 23rd Southeast Asian Games here and the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar last year. But hopes of regaining the country’s affiliation with FIBA arose when BAP and SBP officials agreed to finally work together following a meeting in Bangkok witnessed by Baumann and other FIBA top executives. Two days later, the BAP-SBP was unveiled during a Unity Congress held at the Dusit Hotel in Makati. The POC then conditionally recognized the group as the country’s sole governing body for basketball, its full membership in the Olympic family automatically follows once FIBA recognized the BAP-SBP. “The membership of the BAP-SBP basketball federation with FIBA is subject to the condition that the FIBA General Statues and FIBA Internal Regulations as well as the By-Laws that your federation has unanimously approved at the Unity Congress are fully and at all times complied with in letter and spirit,” Baumann added in his letter. “We wish you much success and look forward to welcoming the Philippines in the forthcoming main official competitions of FIBA Asia and FIBA.” (GR)