The Philippine Sports Commission said yesterday it will try its best to "bridge the gap" between the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Basketball Association of the Philippines.
PSC Chairman William Ramirez told the Bulletin that the goverment agency will meet with newly-installed BAP officials led by former Sen. Joey Lina. Despite its suspension, BAP picked Lina as its new president to replace Tiny Literal.
"We should already be focusing on the Southeast Asian Games that’s why I would like to meet the BAP and the POC within the week," Ramirez said during a break in a speaking engagement in Davao City.
"Let us set aside interests here and we should already look ahead. I am not looking at personalities here."
Ramirez said that even if POC president Jose Cojuangco is out of the country and won’t be back until June 26, he would like to speak with other ranking officials such as Robert Aventajado or Joey Romasanta so everything can be threshed out.
The POC put the BAP under suspension a few weeks back during a General Assembly. Before leaving for the US on June 2, Cojuangco formed a group manned by retired police general Edgardo Aglipay to lay the groundwork for the entry of the Philippine Basketball Federation Inc., which the POC would like to take over from the BAP.
—Nick GIONGCO 
