Top sports officials rallied behind the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas and asked other basketball stakeholders to do the same as the country faces possible suspension from the international federation following FIBA’s decision to hear complaints of alleged non-compliance with the Bangkok Agreement that created the SBP.

Officials of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) led those who threw their support behind the leadership of SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan whose backing has put the country back on track to claim basketball respect in Asia.

“The PBL is fully behind the leadership of Pangilinan. We believe that his programs are all in place and what he’s doing are all for the betterment of basketball in the country,” said PBL chairman Mikee Romero, who also took his oath as the new president of the Philcycling (Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines) yesterday.

POC spokesperson Joey Romasanta said that the “POC is behind the SBP and I don’t see any reason why we would not support it.”

The statements of support came two days after Pangilinan declared that FIBA’s threat of suspension if the SBP officials fail to attend a meeting in Geneva to hear complaints reportedly made by officials of the Basketball Association of the Philippines.

Pangilinan questioned the creation of the special commission to investigate SBP, saying there was no basis for such. He also asked that the meeting called by FIBA on July 21 be moved after the FIBA-Asia championship in China so the Philippines can honor its obligations to the tournament.

Romero defended Pangilinan, saying the Philippines has a solid basketball program.

“If we’re talking of dedication and passion, MVP himself has proven that by putting his own millions in the SBP, he’s the most dedicated  person in basketball in the whole country,” said Romero.

“We would never find a leader that would equal what he’s doing in basketball right now. So I ask other members of the SBP to show their full support behind MVP,” said Romero.

Romasanta said the SBP is doing what the FIBA wants in so far as developing Philippine basketball.

“In the past, the Philippines was accused of sending inferior teams that lost by as much as 60 points and now that the SBP is in charge, I don’t think our teams would lose again by such a wide margin,” said Romasanta.
 
“The SBP is precisely doing what the FIBA wants it to do.”

Romasanta said he feels the pain of Pangilinan, who has shelled out millions in order to bring back the glory of Philippine basketball.

The FIBA has called on Pangilinan and other basketball leaders to appear before that special committee from July 20 to 22 in its headquarters in Geneva to shed light on allegations that it has not lived up to an earlier agreement signed in Bangkok a couple of years ago.

The special committee is manned by officials with close links to the former officials of the BAP, fueling speculations that the FIBA is about to suspend the Philippines for the fourth time after doing so in 1963, 2001, and 2005 (until 2007).

Pangilinan suspects that the meeting was ill-timed since the special committee is out to slap a suspension on the Philippines, making it unable to take part in the FIBA-Asia championships to be held next month in Tianjin, China. The Philippines earned a berth to the FIBA-Asia after ruling the Southeast Asia Basketball Association tilt some weeks back and is aching to finish within the top three in China so it could get a ticket to the 2010 world championships in Turkey.

Pangilinan said he would only attend the Geneva meeting if it is moved after the FIBA-Asia.