Sen. Trillanes, BAP head, speaks up
Dear Mr. Trinidad:
This refers to your three-part series of articles, published on 12, 14 and 15 January 2015, regarding the concerns raised by Dr. Aparicio H. Mequi, on the existence of the Basketball Association of the Philippines, which he tagged as a “terrorist threat in Philippine basketball.” In the interest of fairness, I would like to request that I be given an opportunity and space to address the concerns he raised.
In your article, Dr. Mequi was quoted as saying “Despite the decisions of the Supreme Court and the international body for sports arbitration declaring the illegality of the BAP—and vesting the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) with the sole right to manage Philippine basketball—the BAP persists as if it still is legit.”
First and foremost, the Basketball Association of the Philippines is a legitimate corporate organization with Security and Exchange Commission registration number CN2011-22517. It has numerous members and accredited organizations locally and internationally. It is affiliated with the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines, which is recognized by the Asian University Basketball Federation and the International University Sports Federation.
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Second, I would like to stress that there was neither a Supreme Court decision nor an international body for sports decision that declares the illegality of the existence of the Basketball Association of the Philippines as a basketball organization. The Supreme Court decision which Dr. Mequi was referring to pertains to the 2009 decision regarding affirmation of Governor Oscar S. Moreno and former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner Jose Emmanuel M. Eala as the chair and executive director, respectively, of the merged BAP-Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas Inc. (BAP-SBP), which later on dropped BAP from its official name, and which further was the basis of accreditation of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) and the Philippine Olympic Committee as the national sports association of basketball. Clearly, therefore, the issue resolved was solely related to the Fiba and POC accreditations and definitely not about the legal existence of BAP.
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Third, when I assumed the presidency of BAP, the first thing I did was to talk to SBP President Manny Pangilinan to inform him that BAP, under my leadership, will not contest the POC accreditation, and, instead, will focus on grassroots basketball programs. Even Mr. Pangilinan admitted during our meeting that SBP’s attention would be focused on winning international and other major competitions.
Currently, BAP is conducting national, provincial and even barangay tournaments and training that seek to discover and hone talents from the grassroots, as well as to promote basketball in general.
My role as the president of BAP and the BAP programs I support are reflective of my advocacy in sports. I believe that sports should be an integral part of citizen development in line with our dream of someday having a responsible, disciplined, and well-rounded citizenry. Aside from promoting national excellence and pride, sports plays a vital role in the character building of our youth. Leadership, sportsmanship, esprit de corps and discipline are just a few of the values we develop through sports. So, the two organizations are, in fact, complementary in their efforts to promote Philippine basketball.
Lastly, I agree with Dr. Mequi that “sports is peace.” I admire his advocacy in promoting peace in basketball, as well as in preserving the youth’s passion for the same. I assure him that BAP is one with this advocacy, and we are not a terrorist threat in Philippine basketball. BAP will not use any effort to get in the way of SBP or any other organizations to stage in world competitions, particularly in the country’s bid to host the World Cup of basketball in 2016, as mentioned in the same article.
I hope that this has settled the issues raised by Dr. Mequi. Should there be a need for further clarifications, I am inviting you and Dr. Mequi for a meeting and discussion on these matters.
Thank you and please accept my warmest regards.
Very truly yours,
Sen. Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV
President, Basketball Association of the Philippines
