Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella yesterday said he is not amenable to the proposal of Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco to allow the country's new cage body to retain the name of Basketball Association of the Philippines.

Puentevella, who is the vice-president of the POC, however, said that he agrees with Cojuangco that only Joey Lina, president of the old BAP, will be retained as a member of the Philippines' new basketball body from the old set of officers. "I totally agree with Peping's decision (on keeping Joey Lina), but I have my own reservations when it comes to still name the new basketball body as BAP," Puentevella told the DAILY STAR.

BAP does not have a good reputation in international basketball so retaining the name BAP for the new cage body, which the country's major basketball stakeholders are trying to form, might not work abroad, he said.

BAP, considered by the FIBA or international basketball federation as the official cage body of the Philippines, was stricken off by the POC from its roster last year that caused the scrapping of the country's participation in international tournaments.

Basketball was also expelled from the events of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games in November and December last year because FIBA suspended the country from international participation after it did not have a basketball group recognized by the international cage body.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the POC and FIBA last year stating that Lina, the Philippine Basketball Association, the Philippine Basketball League, the UAAP and the NCAA should form a new local cage group to replace the old BAP before the end of March.

Puentevella said he believes that basketball leaders and associations from the Visayas and Mindanao should also be included in organizing the country's new basketball body so that the group will become national in scope. The FIBA will lift the Philippines' suspension from joining international events, including the 2007 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, once it officially readmits the new cage group. *CIT

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