Monico says pressure on to lift suspension

SEOUL — Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) first vice president Rep. Monico Puentevella took the floor to deliver a strong message that no National Olympic Committee (NOC) should ever allow itself to be pressured or controlled by an International Sports Federation (ISF) during the General Assembly meeting of the 203-nation Association of NOCs at the Grand Intercontinental Hotel here the other day.

Puentevella said with POC president Jose Cojuangco, Jr.’s go-signal, he spoke out in an effort to define the relationship between an ISF and an NOC. He never mentioned as a case in point, the country’s suspension by the Federation Internationale de Basketball (FIBA), stemming from the POC’s expulsion of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) as a National Sports Association (NSA), but it was clear his comments were meant to assert an NOC’s authority.

Puentevella noted his remarks will likely trigger an ANOC resolution to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), denouncing the "abuse of power" of some ISFs. It could lead to a major policy statement.

"I told the General Assembly that when we hosted the last Southeast Asian Games, we could not even play our No. 1 sport," continued Puentevella. "How ironic, I explained, that an autonomous and independent body can be regulated by an ISF."

Puentevella said he was careful not to identify basketball as the sport in question to avoid embarrassment to any person or organization.

With regard to FIBA’s order, Puentevella said the pressure is on as more IOC officials are now aware of the BAP’s attempts to stonewall the POC’s campaign to lift the suspension at the country’s expense.

Puentevella singled out ANOC secretary-general Gunila Lindberg of Sweden and IOC director of the Solidarity Movement Pere Miro as influential officials sympathetic to the POC’s plight.

Puentevella said the POC officials flew here "to get action" and it appears the signs are positive that the POC is on the right track in pushing for a new cage NSA, Pilipinas Basketball, to be accredited by FIBA as a country affiliate.

"Mr. Miro understands our situation," said POC legal counsel Egmidio Tanjuatco, referring to IOC president Jacques Rogge’s close associate who manages the high-budget Solidarity Movement. "He knows about our basketball problem. He agrees that an NOC should have leeway and flexibility in exercising its functions without being regulated by an ISF."

Miro confirmed his attendance in the meeting involving the POC officials, representatives of four major cage stakeholders and FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann scheduled last night. Miro has received copies of Baumann’s recent letters to Cojuangco and BAP president Joey Lina related to the basketball crisis.

"We expect to cover a lot of ground with Mr. Baumann," said Tanjuatco. "First, we hope to get his response on the proposed Constitution and By-Laws of Pilipinas Basketball that we submitted to FIBA. That hues closely to the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the POC and FIBA. Then, we’ll discuss the details of accrediting Pilipinas Basketball as a FIBA country affiliate. This will be a working session with nitty-gritty details to take up."

Tanjuatco said in light of recent developments, Lina’s pronouncements in media calling for arbitration and reinstatement into the POC appear to be more and more irrelevant.