Lina, a former senator and former Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government, reiterated that the only way for the Federation Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) to lift the suspension is to reinstate the 60-year-old BAP to the regular membership of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).

He cited a letter from FIBA secretary-general Partick Baumann dated Oct. 27, 2005, barely a month after POC head Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr. and Baumann forged the MoU, that said if the POC will restore the membership of the country’s basketball body, the MoU process is unnecessary.

"Should the POC wish to re-visit its position on BAP, the MoU process is unnecessary and our ban can be lifted immediatelty," Lina quoted Baumann in his letter.

The former Governor of Laguna also said that there is no need to create a new national sports association for basketball because what Baumann suggested is just to amend the constitution of the BAP and implement necessary changes along the lines of the MoU.

"In such event, for the benefit of a long term solution for basketball, we are at your disposal to continue to assist the POC and BAP in order to rapidly implement the necessary changes in the BAP constitution and organization along the lines recommended in the MoU," Baumman added in his letter.

The POC expelled the BAP by unanimous votes in a general assembly on June 30, 2005, due to misunderstanding on who will form and coach the RP national team to the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, which the country hosted last Nov. 27 to Dec. 5.

The BAP’s expulsion resulted in the suspension on the Philippines from participation in any sanction tournament by the FIBA, but Baumann told Cojuangco that the world governing body continues to recognize BAP as the country’s basketball authority.

Lina said that the said approach was the common understanding by the four other stakeholders mentioned in the MoU in the initial meeting in Janauary at the Makati residence of Cojuangco.

Aside from Lina, other stakeholders were the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines, the Philippine Basketball Association and the Philippine Basketball League.

PBA Commissioner Noli Eala later began to adhere to the wishes of the Olympic body and formed the Pilipinas Basketball, which the POC admitted on Wednesday and sent to the FIBA the following day.

Lina said that the only way FIBA will accept a new member is to expel first the BAP, which is impossible because there is no cause to it.

"The BAP remains an active member in good standing. The BAP can only be expelled by FIBA for a cause. There exists no ground for FIBA to expel or even suspend the BAP," he said.