MANILA, 31 October 2003 — Nic Jorge, leader of the court-recognized Basketball Association of the Philippines Inc., has made a siren call for the formation of a “basketball super body” to help revive the sport’s sagging image in the country.

Jorge said the move to revive calls for a super body is a step towards the right direction, especially after the Philippine team’s worst-ever 15th place finish in the recent Asian Basketball Championships in China where it failed to get a slot in the Olympics anew. But he said the BAPI should first extend its hand to all stakeholders in the sport, including officials of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP), whose ascendancy was declared null and void by the Court of Appeals recently.

To achieve this, Jorge has asked the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to recognize the court’s mandate.

“I have asked PSC Chairman Eric Buhain and POC president Celso Dayrit to effectively recognize the BAPI as ordered by the court,” Jorge said, adding “This would help put Philippine basketball back in its proper course and make its actions legal.”

The BAP has been criticized for its lack of program and for failure to produce a strong national team in international meets. The Philippine Basketball League(PBL) and former BAP and FIBA president Lito Puyat also threw their support behind the BAPI but POC president Celso Dayrit took a more cautious line, saying his group will have to study the matter thoroughly before coming out with a decision. Puyat said the law is clearly on BAPI’s side in the issue.

“Actually, such a proposal should have been long in coming since the Securities and Exchange Commission ruled that only those registered with it should be recognized by both the POC and the PSC,” Puyat said.

“The formation of a basketball superbody has been a long-time dream for many basketball leaders since the idea was first floated several years back through the initiative of the BAPI, Philippine Basketball Association, Philippine Basketball League, the UAAP, NCAA and several other collegiate leagues,” Jorge said. “We are encouraging these groups to help us revive this call again.” Jorge’s BAPI was recently declared the legitimate association for basketball in the Philippines by the CA 13th division, which affirmed a ruling by the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 12 nullifying the existence of the BAP.

The CA also ruled the BAPI to maintain status quo prior to the Aug. 14, 1995 election that divided the association into two groups. All other elections that followed it, including the controversial 2001 polls were declared illigitimate. The court order is final and executory.

Jorge had already initiated talks with leaders of the PBA, PBL and the leading collegiate leagues regarding the creation of the “super body.” He had also consulted provincial basketball leaders.

According to Jorge, he plans to call for elections in all BAPI regions soon before the association selects the BAPI’s new leaders from among those who will be legitimately elected by its representatives.

The PBL backed up calls for the formation of a basketball superbody.

At the same time, the PBL also called on national and regional leagues to throw their support on the restructuring of a national program. PBL Commissioner Chino Trinidad said: “The country needs a strong basketball program to achieve its dreams of figuring well in international competitions like the Asian Games, Asian Championships and even the Olympics, where Filipino players used to play against the best of the region and the world. If nothing is done about this, patch-up solutions would not do it for us.”

Trinidad, whose league provided support to the national team set to do battle in the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam in December, said it has been the PBL’s dream to be part of a “basketball superbody” in which leagues and organizations have a voice in formulating national policies and programs. The PBL came to the rescue of the national team after it suffered a humiliating 15th place finish in Harbin, China.

Jorge welcomed Trinidad’s statement as a big boost to his call to gather all basketball leaders and restructure the association based on the need of the times.

Jorge also said he has been receiving commitment of support from various organizations in Metro Manila and the provinces since the CA ruled that the BAP Inc. and the BAP are one and the same, effectively nullifying the elections held in 1995 won by Godofredo Jalasco and the subsequent election of Tiny Literal as president in 2001.

The Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission have no choice but to obey the rule of court and recognize BAPI as the sole legitimate organization for the sport.

Bonifacio Alentajan, legal counsel of the BAP, downplayed the Court of Appeals ruling recognizing the BAPI, saying “the bottom line is that the present BAP is recognized by the FIBA (the world basketball body) and the International Olympic Committee.”

Alentajan stood as Literal’s vice-president but had to give up the post just recently.

At the same time, the BAP has warned of a FIBA sanction in the aftermath of the Court of Appeals decision nullifying the existence of BAP and recognizing the BAPI instead.