SEABA gets full support

The Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) championships will go on as scheduled, and the Philippine Olympic Committee and Philippine Sports Commission are making sure the event will be held without any hitches.

With barely a week left before the SEABA meet scheduled April 2-7, the PSC said it is making the Rizal Memorial Coliseum available and will put in the funds to help defray the cost of staging the meet which will be participated in by Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei and host the Philippines.

The POC also said that, while it is still recognizing the Basketball Association of the Philippines headed by Freddie Jalasco, it is encouraging the country’s hosting of the tournament by the group of Quintillano "Tiny" Literal.

The Literal group is already making the final preparations for the arrival of the SEABA teams while Graham Lim has made arrangements with the ABS-CBN network for the TV coverage.

"The POC has a hands-off policy when it comes to the SEABA issue because it is a private organization and it’s only the Olympics, the Asian and the SEA Games which we have a say on," said POC legal counsel and spokesman Victor Africa.

"But the POC is encouraging that the country host that event," he added.

POC president Celso Dayrit said his proposal on a joint SEABA organizing committee of Jalasco and Literal remains, but it is up to the Literal group to reject it or not.

"The Jalasco group told me they’ll cooperate but I haven’t heard from the Literal group, so my proposal remains a proposal," Dayrit said.

Tuason said the PSC will give financial support to the SEABA staging provided that the group requesting it will come directly from the SEABA organizing committee. — Joey Villar