By WAYLON GALVEZ
After serving the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas as president for nearly a decade, Manny V. Pangilinan will formally step down today as the local basketball federation holds its National Congress and election at the Dusit Thani Manila in Makati City.
The stakeholders and accredited members of the SBP will first elect the 25-man Board of Trustees. After that, the new trustees will elect from among them the new president of the association.
Pangilinan and 12 other SBP officers are no longer qualified to pursue another tenure since they are considered ‘termed out’ under the Constitutions and By-Laws of the SBP.
“There are 13 who are termed out,” said SBP executive director Sonny Barrios yesterday. “Meaning, sagad na yung years nila for them to qualify and run for office, including Mr. Pangilinan. They can’t be re-elected.”
Aside from Pangilinan, other SBP officials that are considered ‘termed out’ are chairman Oscar Moreno, vice president Ricky Vargas, and treasurer Jay Adalem, according to Barrios.
The board, however, has recently crated special positions for Pangilinan that has been approved as chairman emeritus, while Vargas is the senior adviser to the chairman emeritus.
Both officials, with their positions, can attend the SBP meeting but have no voting rights.
Pangilinan has been on top of the SBP leadership since its formation in 2007, guiding the country back to its position as one of the top teams in Asia and offering various programs at the grassroots level.
The men’s national team, or Gilas Pilipinas, has improved its position from No. 54 when Pangilinan took over, to No. 28 in the FIBA world ranking behind Asian champion China (No. 14) and Iran (No. 17).
Under his leadership, the national team won a pair of silver medals in the Asian Championship in 2013 here and 2015 in China. The second place finish three years ago earned the Philippines a spot in the FIBA World Cup in Spain – the first in 40 years.
Barrios said that the preferred successor of Pangilinan as SBP chief is current association vice president Al Panlilio, who served as Chief Executive Officer of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) in the last FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) here.
“Part of the big success of the FIBA OQT is because of him (Panlilio),” said Barrios.
As for the various directors of the SBP and regional directors, Barrios said it’s up to the new president.
“The appointed officers, which starts with me, we’re considered resign,” said Barrios. “We give the incoming president a free hand to pick – or retain – the other officials of the SBP as well as regional heads.”
**waits for theIdiots who are hikikomoris who hate basketball….**