MANILA -- The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, Inc. (SBP) has come out with a full-page advertisement published in major news dailies to defend itself from “attacks” allegedly from members of the defunct Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP).

“The ads today (Tuesday) were a result of communications coming from FIBA about the creation of a ‘special commission’ supposedly to mediate between the SBP and the group of the BAP,” said SBP Executive director Noli Eala during the Philippine Sportswriters Association forum on Tuesday at Shakey’s UN Avenue Branch in Manila.

FIBA is the International Basketball Federation, the world governing body for basketball. It is composed of over 200 national basketball federations around the world.

The BAP members have reportedly questioned the “institutional legitimacy” of SBP through “various correspondences and continuous complaints addressed to the FIBA secretariat over the past months”.

The complaints have prompted FIBA to create a “Special Commission for the Philippines” that will mediate between SBP and BAP.

Patrick Baumann, FIBA Secretary General, has advised SBP about the formation of the commission.

“We have responded to these letters, the contexts of these letters will be mentioned tomorrow (Wednesday) in a press conference,” said Eala.

In the newspaper ad, SBP said that it has refused to submit itself to the jurisdiction of the commission, citing that FIBA has already pledged its support for their group. This is aside from the international body’s promise to disregard any communication from the former BAP.

“The basis on which the Special Commission was formed rests on complaints and allegations…made by BAP that are unverified and biased,” said the SBP.

“The ads are a manifestation and expression of leadership, the exercise of leadership by the SBP with respect to how the course of Philippine basketball will be charted and how we plan to proceed with the programs of Philippine basketball. It is a statement that we will not be dictated upon by any other individual except the legitimate basketball stakeholders,” said Eala. Dennis Gasgonia, abs-cbnNEWS.com