Jalasco: BAP meeting illegal

The top two officials of the Basketball Association of the Philippines the other day declared "illegal and devoid of any authority whatsoever" the purported executive board meeting held Tuesday noon at the Club Filipino and said the call for a national board meeting set today to elect a new set of executive officers has no legal leg to stand on.

BAP president Freddie Jalasco Jr. and BAP chairman Lito Puyat have categorically stated that the BAP national board meeting last Tuesday was "without the approval of and authority of the (BAP) president" and therefore illegal and violative of the BAP by-laws.

Cited were Articles 9 and 13 of the by-laws approved by the national board in its meeting on Dec. 7, 1999, stating that only the president of the association may call for a meeting of the executive board and/or the national board.

"If any matter is to be brought before the national board, we believe that the same must be made in accordance with the process and procedures under the by-laws," the two top officials said. "We must collectively respect and abide by the very rules which we ourselves have promulgated."

Jalasco and Puyat urged "misinformed" members of the national board "to disregard the illegal and insubordinate acts" made by the faction headed by former secretary-general Graham Lim. Jalasco said he accepted Lim’s resignation last week during a closed-door meeting at the BAP office after efforts to reconcile them failed.

"He resigned and I accepted, that’s it," Jalasco said.

In the memorandum to "all members of the national board," signed by both Jalasco and Puyat, they asked for the national board members’ cooperation "by closing ranks with the leadership of the Basketball Association of the Philippines in the interest of Philippine basketball…"

Jalasco and Puyat instead announced the holding of a special session of the national board on Jan. 6, 2001 at the Club Filipino at noontime "to discuss this" and other matters. "Your attendance and participation thereat is enjoined," the memorandum stated.

Former sports editor Emmanuel (Tito) A. Perez de Tagle, the National Capital Region director, was designated acting secretary-general by Jalasco, pending the appointment of a new sec-gen.