Suspended earlier by POC president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr., BAP’s hope of staying on as a member of the sports community is in the hands of the 39-member assembly which will gather to participate in what could be an unprecedented move in local sports history.
A strong indication that POC president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco would get the 26 votes (three-fourths of the membership) needed to uphold his decision is the last-minute move to change the venue of the general assembly.
Usually held at the Milky Way Restaurant on Pasay Road in Makati, the general assembly will now be held at Cojuangco’s residence at Dasmariñas Village in Makati.
Insiders said Cojuangco already has 20 votes which came from the unanimous resolution passed two weeks ago giving him the sole authority to decide on the fate of the BAP.
Meanwhile, the BAP vowed yesterday to exhaust all means to stay off its suspension.
"We will elevate the matter to the FIBA (World Basketball Federation) if we get suspended tomorrow (today)," said former baseball great Boy Codiñera, who serves as the BAP’s vice-president for Visayas.
"But if the FIBA says we are suspended, well that’s it," added Codiñera, who made it clear that he and fellow officials are not "quarreling with POC president Peping Cojuangco."
Lawyer Bonifacio Alentajan, the fiesty BAP spokesman, was unavailable for comment.
Cojuangco arrived yesterday from a lightning trip to Hong Kong where he appraised FIBA president Carl Mengky Ching and other high-ranking officials of the domestic situation.
He was accompanied by POC chairman Robert Aventajado, athletics and chess president Go Teng Kok and POC media affairs chief Joey Romasanta.
No other details were available on the meeting between Cojuangco and Ching.
In anticipation of BAP’s suspension, the POC is expected to form a caretaker committee whose first task is to supervise the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup tournament scheduled this weekend.
The composition of the committee is still subject for speculation, although the name of Romasanta has been floated.
Romasanta used to head the defunct Project: Gintong Alay during the administration of President Corazon Aquino.
Cojuangco, who needs 26 votes from 39 NSAs to reaffirm the BAP suspension, is confident of getting more than the magic number since the POC Executive Board that granted him the power to decide on the BAP issue, is composed of 20 members.
"Six votes na lang ‘yan," Cojuangco said last week.
Foremost on the POC’s concern is the sending of a competitive squad to next month’s Seaba Championship scheduled in Singapore.
