Graham Lim, the secretary-general of the Basketball Association of the Philippines, was arrested yesterday at the BAP Office inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, a few months after the Department of Justice decided he should be banished from the country, Rep. Monico Puentevella said.

Armed with a warrant of deportation issued by BI commissioner Alipio Fernandez, immigration agents who had tracked down Lim for the past two months picked up the basketball official at the RSMC and brought him to the BI offices, before placing him in the bureau's detention center in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.

Lim, who did not resist arrest, had appealed the deportation decision before the legal department of the Office of the President, which twice denied his motion, BI intelligence chief Faizal Hussin said. Malacañang denied his appeal with finality on Nov. 9, 2005.

The BAP official claimed that he is a Filipino citizen. Lim, whom, sports leaders claim to be responsible for the embarrassing stints of RP Teams in international tournaments, says he was born and raised in the Philippines.

Lim's arrest comes a few days after the Philippine Olympic Committee approved the formation of Pilipinas Basketball to replace the BAP as the recognized basketball body in the country as part of the FIBA's conditions for the country to be reinstated in the world basketball group.

But the POC, in a statement, denied any hand in Lim's arrest, saying it was a personal matter and outside of the basketball issue.

Puentevella, who is also first vice-president of the POC, said Philippine basketball has a good chance of being reinstated into the FIBA ranks with Lim's arrest. "With all due respect to Mr. Lim, I believe his arrest is a blessing in disguise because he is the No. 1 international link to the FIBA," the solon told the DAILY STAR.

This is a tipping point for RP basketball, Puentevella said, adding that he, along with POC president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco and bowling chief Steve Hontiveros are hoping to meet International Olympic Committee president Jack Rose and FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann on the first week of April and convince them to lift the suspension on Philippine basketball.

The lifting of the BAP suspension will pave the way for the country's participation in the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. Basketball was scrapped from the calendared events in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games because of the BAP suspension.

BI special prosecutor Arvin Santos said only a restraining order from the Court of Appeals could stop the bureau from banishing Lim from the country.

The BI had earlier ruled that Lim is a citizen of the Republic of China (Taiwan). It also said that Lim, who will be deported to Taiwan as soon as the BI gets clearance from other governments agencies, violated immigration law by misrepresenting himself as a Filipino and using a Philippine passport.

Hussin said Lim will most likely spend the weekend at Camp Bagong Diwa. The BI can not grant bail to illegal aliens if the Board of Commissioners has already issued a deportation order, but the immigration commissioner also has the discretion to grant bail to detainees, Hussin added. *CPT

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