Cebu cage body urged to back SBP

Cebu Representative and basketball patron Eduardo Gullas has urged the Cebu Schools Amateur Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) to strongly support the initiatives of businessman-sportsman Manny Pangilinan and Senator Jinggoy Estrada to form the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP).

SBP, which is composed of the country’s major stakeholders in the sport, has been created to resolve the longstanding feud in basketball that resulted in the Philippines being suspended by the International Basketball Federation ( FIBA).

"I am urging the CESAFI to pass a resolution expressing they are in full accord with the initiatives of the SBP. They should come out openly in favor of SBP," said Gullas yesterday.

"Having a unified basketball body, we can have the FIBA sanction lifted and we can again be a FIBA member of good standing," added Gullas.

At the same time, CESAFI Board president Engr. Oscar Tuason of Cebu Doctors’ University assured Gullas he would take up the matter in their next board meeting.

Gullas, who was in basketball since he steered the University of Visayas Green Lancers to the National Inter-Collegiate title in late ’50s that earned him "Coach of the Year" award by the Philippine Free Press, said the CESAFI deserves a member of SBP being the premiere amateur cage league outside of Manila.

"It’s time to have a provincial league that will be a pillar of SBP and it is only CESAFI being the premiere basketball league outside of Manila. CESAFI has 11 member schools and has a regular development program for basketball," said Gullas.

"I’ve already talked to MVP (Pangilinan), POC chairman Jose "Peping" Cojuangco, and PBA chairman Ricky Vargas regarding the inclusion of CESAFI in the SBP and they’re all positive. They told me the provincial league which they are going to recognize is the CESAFI," said Gullas.