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SPECULATION has risen that communications mogul
Manny V. Pangilinan may consider leaving his
post as president of the Basketball Association of the
Philippines-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (BAP-SBP).
The
leadership of the powerful but wobbly alliance of
basketball stakeholders was shaken recently after
executive director Patrick Gregorio expressed his
intention to resign.
A source
said Gregorio, who earlier cited fatigue as one of the
reasons why he is stepping down, may not be the only
person worn out by matters within the federation and, in
effect, uninterested about being at the helm of the
BAP-SBP anymore.
 “If
Patrick feels tired, [Mr. Pangilinan] certainly feels
the same way. Maybe even more,” the source lamented.
Gregorio
was to meet Pangilinan Wednesday night to talk about his
decision. He said he was thinking about stepping down as
recent as only three weeks ago and that the debacle in
an Indonesian tournament in the weekend was what
clinched his resolve.
Gregorio
said the meeting with Pangilinan would be about the
federation’s immediate plans and how he would fit in.
“I want
to have a clear understanding of what is going to happen
within the organization and I want to know if I could
still play a part in it,” Gregorio said.
Under
Gregorio, the national basketball program saw a frenetic
activity in the sport not seen in recent memory, with
the men’s, youth and even women’s sides given ample
attention by the BAP-SBP. A nationwide collegiate
tournament and a women’s league were also being
considered.
Pangilinan took over the federation presidency early
last year, ending an 18-month suspension meted by Fiba.
Basketball stakeholders throughout the country lauded
the ascension of Pangilinan, one of the most powerful
corporate leaders in the country, hoping a corporate man
could weed out presumed undesirable elements within the
federation.
Gregorio, a marketing man by profession and also brought
up most of his life under a corporate environment, said
if Pangilinan accepts his resignation, he will leave the
federation without any regrets.
“I
believe I’ve done my job,” Gregorio said. “We proved to
everyone that we were capable of coming up with these
programs within a very short period of time. We got the
trust of the corporate sector. We got them to invest. We
had a vision starting from scratch and we were able to
parlay most of it into reality.”
Meanwhile, Gregorio’s resignation reverberated across
local basketball.
“If his
so-called resignation is an offshoot of what happened in
the Seaba [Southeast Asia Basketball Association
Champions Cup], then that’s commendable because that is
his responsibility,” Philippine Basketball League
commissioner Chino Trinidad told the BusinessMirror
Wednesday.
Trinidad
added that Gregorio “means well to the organization”
although his successor will have a gigantic task at
hand, especially with dealing with the other members of
the federation.
“The
next executive director must be ready to wage a
long-drawn battle with the powers that be of the
unsinkable BAP,” said
Trinidad, referring to the predecessor of the BAP-SBP merger.
Bernie
Atienza, one of the trustees in the schools sector of
the BAP-SBP, said that if Gregorio has indeed decided to
leave his post, “he would be a big loss to the
federation.”
Graham
Lim, who was the secretary-general of the BAP before the
merger, said the next executive director should be
“carefully chosen.”
“Whether
he thinks his resignation is the right thing to do [or
not], it’s up to him to assess his own work. I don’t
want to say anything against him. Whoever the SBP
chooses to replace him should be chosen carefully
first,” Lim said.
Meanwhile, the BAP-SBP granted voting rights recently to
15 basketball organizations. The final number was culled
from 96 applications. These groups are given voting
powers in the coming National Congress and Elections set
on May 31.
The 15
basketball organizations are the University Athletic
Association of the Philippines, National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA), NCAA-South, Philippine
Basketball Association, Philippine Basketball League,
Cebu School Athletic Foundation Inc., National Athletic
Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities, Small
Basketeers of the Philippines Inc., and National Capital
Region Athletic Association.
Also
included are the Women’s NCAA, Cagayan de Oro Schools
Athletic Association, El Federacion Basketbolista de
Zamboanga, Baguio-Benguet Educational Athletic League,
Pinoy Basketball Inc. and Cagayan de Oro Basketball
Federation. (With Joel Orellana) |
