Team owners vow support for Gilas

MANILA, Philippines - PBA commissioner Chito Salud yesterday assured the all-out support of the league’s team owners in backing up Gilas Pilipinas’ bid to qualify for the 2014 FIBA World Championships via the FIBA-Asia qualifiers which Manila will host on Aug. 1-11.

Salud said he personally phoned every team owner to request for unqualified cooperation after he was informed that FIBA-Asia secretary-general Hagop Khajirian of Lebanon had awarded the hosting rights of the qualifiers to Manila last Thursday.  “As early as last year, the PBA Board of Governors had approved the resolution allowing Gilas to tap our players for the national team,” said Salud.  “Of course, there will be conflict-of-schedule issues so with this latest development, I wanted to be sure of the owners’ commitment.  I called every one and they guaranteed their all-out support and cooperation from Mr. Ramon Ang to Mr. Wilfred Uytengsu to Mr. George Chua to Mr. Mikee Romero to Mr. Raymund Yu to Mr. Terry Que and to Mr. Bert Lina.  This undertaking wouldn’t be possible without the persistence, patience and dedication of our team owner Mr. Manny Pangilinan.”

Salud said he will meet with the SBP over lunch in an “alignment” meeting tomorrow to lay the groundwork for a successful staging of the FIBA-Asia Championships.  “We will study the marketing opportunities for our PBA teams as we hope to involve our stakeholders for a piece of the pie,” he said.  “This tournament is very significant because first, it will happen in our house, we’re hosting the event, second, it’s an opportunity for us not only to showcase our brand of basketball but our country, our hospitality and third, it’s our chance to qualify for the World Championships and achieve our dream of making it back to the global platform.”

The Philippines has not played in the World Championships since hosting the quadrennial competition in 1978.  Manila has not hosted the FIBA-Asia Championships since 1973 when FIBA-Asia was still known as the Asian Basketball Confederation.

“This is an opportunity for our team owners to get together to pursue a common goal,” said Salud.  “If there are issues of conflict, I think they’re not insurmountable.  It’s important that we keep an eye on the prize, that we work together to make this a successful effort.  We realize we need to field the most competitive team so we can qualify for the World Championships in Spain next year.  We’re happy and proud that Manila will be hosting the FIBA-Asia Championships.”

The top three finishers of the FIBA-Asia qualifiers will represent the continent at the 24-team World Championships.  Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Sonny Barrios said there is a move to change the World Championships qualifying system after the Spain conclave and it may be more difficult for the Philippines to make it to the succeeding tournaments.  “This is a golden chance for us to qualify under the existing system because we’re hosting the FIBA-Asia Championships,” said Barrios.

Apart from participating in the competition itself, organizing the FIBA-Asia Championships is a mammoth undertaking where the budget could go as high as P70 Million.  Barrios called it a logistical challenge as 16 teams are expected to join, 15 flying in from different parts of Asia.

“The foreign teams will arrive two days before the start of the tournament and leave the day after the closing so that makes two weeks,” said an SBP source.  “That means 10 to 11 rooms per team.  We’re providing each team with a bus and liaison officer.  We’re taking care of their meals and arranging for the availability of practice venues.”

The main venue for the tournament will be the MOA Arena with the Ninoy Aquino Stadium as a secondary site.  With 16 teams, the eliminations will feature eight games a day, six at the MOA Arena and two at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.  Three hotels will be tapped to accommodate the visitors – one for FIBA, FIBA-Asia and team officials, another for the players and a third for the referees.

Without adjusting its third conference schedule, the PBA will play Game 1 of the Governors Cup Finals on July 12 with a Game 7, if necessary, on July 28.  “By July 12, eight teams will have been eliminated in the Governors Cup,” said an SBP source.  “Still, the PBA will take a second look at its schedule so as not to be in the way of preparations for the FIBA-Asia Championships.  As Mr. Pangilinan mentioned, this is for the Filipino people.  Gilas Pilipinas is our national team, the country owns this team, not any one group.”

The SBP source said it was providential that Manila wound up with the hosting rights after the FIBA-Asia Executive Committee initially awarded the privilege to Beirut in a Tokyo meeting last September.  “We never wished ill on Beirut,” said the source.  “We were told by Mr. Khajirian that Manila would be the site if for some reason, Beirut wouldn’t be able to host.  We knew there were four to five other countries lobbying to take over from Beirut and we are grateful to FIBA-Asia for giving us the opportunity to host.  It’s a testament to Mr. Khajirian’s professionalism that with Beirut’s withdrawal, he kept his word to give us the chance to host and for our part, we’ll do everything possible to make this event successful and memorable as it is historic.”