In a recent letter to GAB chairman Dominador Cepeda which was noted by BAP president Freddie Jalasco, Puyat, who is also the Presidential consultant on physical fitness and sports development, said the GAB can help because "Cepeda is empowered to, among others, license professional basketball players and approve the schedule of PBA games."

Puyat said: "I am particularly keen in having a powerful (RP) team compete in the ABC because this is the Olympics of basketball in Asia...which qualifies the top two Asian teams either to the world championships or Olympics games."

Puyat recalled that since the formation of the PBA, the Philippines has lost its dominance in Asian basketball because the PBA refuses to allow its best players to play despite the fact that the sport is now open to pros and amateurs.

"The PBA has made it difficult for the BAP to tap pros and, in fact, has allowed to let members of its club teams play for the Philippines only twice, both in the Asian Games," he said.

He explained that the local situation is quite different from that of other countries, especially the US, where NBA superstars represent the US in the world championships and the Olympics.

He added that the PBA has not given financial support to the BAP despite the fact that ``ninety percent of players drafted by the PBA have been discovered and developed by the BAP through its regional and national tournaments.'' The old MICAA, he pointed out, used to give financial aid to the national basketball program.

"What hapens now is that BAP not only loses its best players, but also a big chunk of its income," Puyat said. "Any tournament organized by the BAP or associations other than the BAP hardly earns because there is too much pro ball competition going virtually the whole-year round."

Puyat is requesting Cepeda to "rationalize the schedule of pro basketball by limiting its season to at most two conferences in order to give longer playing time to the so-called amateurs. After all, you supervise the pro league and you are in a position to tell PBA officials that government has put a lot of emphasis on physical fitness and sports development in order to strengthen the base of sports, particularly basketball which is considered the national pastime." -JEAN MALANUM