What went before: Fiba banned PH from international meets for 2 years

When SBP president Al Panlilio said the national federation was accepting the decision of Fiba to impose fines and suspensions on erring members of Gilas Pilipinas, even he admitted that “it could have been worse.”

His assessment brought to mind the last time the country’s national basketball body had a run-in with the Fiba, which resulted in a lengthy ban that kept the Philippines out of international competitions during its duration.

What exactly happened and how was it resolved?

Wetake a look at what happened before.

In May 2005, the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) was suspended indefinitely by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) for reneging on its earlier agreement with the POC and other basketball stakeholders regarding basketball programs.

Two months later, Fiba suspended the country from competing in international tournaments it sanctions because of the dispute between the POC and the BAP.

In August 2005, a newly - formed, POC-backed Philippine Basketball Federation sought to have the Fiba suspension lifted so the country could resume competing in international events, including the Manila Southeast Asian Games.

Fiba junked the POC's request for recognition of the Philippine Basketball Federation, branding it “impossible” and calling the expulsion of BAP “political.”

In a letter dated Aug. 30, Fiba secretary general Patrick Baumann berated the POC and its leadership even as the world governing body for basketball affirmed its recognition of the BAP while calling for unity of all basketball stakeholders in the country.

“As long as such unity is not demonstrated and guaranteed by all stakeholders (of basketball in the Philippines) to Fiba, Fiba will continue recognizing the BAP as its regularly affiliated member,” wrote Baumann in a letter to then POCpresident Jose “Peping” Cojuangco and secretary general Steve Hontiveros.

By October that year, Cojuangco spearheaded the formation of a new and unified basketball federation in the country, with Fiba requiring that the new federation “must include” at least the five major stakeholders of the sport: the PBA, UAAP, NCAA, PBL and Joey Lina, president of the BAP.

In March 2006, the POCwas prepared to seek Fiba’s recognition of Pilipinas Basketball, the new federation backed by four of the five stakeholders—the PBA, PBL, UAAP and the NCAA. But Lina, the fifth stakeholder, quit the group. Fiba rejected the new group.

In September 2006, the unification of Pilipinas Basketball (PB) and the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) led to the creation of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).

In February 2007, two years after the dispute, Fiba officially lifted the suspension on the country.