Hunt is on for "Fil-shams" in PBA

by Agnes R. Cruz

Fil-Am players are under siege again; Asi Taulava in photo.

MANILA: Fake Fil-Ams in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), notoriously known as Fil-shams, watch out: Senator Robert Barbers is training his gun on you guys.

Once the Senate goes full blast with yet another investigation aimed at finding those who might have faked their citizenship documents, prized Filipino-foreign players Asi Taulava, Mick Pennisi, Rudy Hatfield and even Eric Menk, among others, might again be barred from playing in the PBA.

Barbers, who dropped the bombshell on Fil-foreign cagers back in 1999 when he launched a series of investigations that led to the expulsion of fake Fil-Ams Sonny Alvarado and Robert Parker, said he would call for a thorough investigation into reports that some Fil-foreigners had falsified their documents to be able to play as locals in the country's premier league and that many more are being recruited abroad for next season's draft despite failure to meet the requirements.

"I am in close coordination with my contacts who already furnished me with pieces of evidence that there are players who manufactured documents such as their parents' birth certificates. This is a clear case of deceit and fraud," said Barbers, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Games, Amusement and Sports.

He said his investigation will focus on the policies of the PBA with regards to these players and the basis of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) in issuing these citizenship papers.

Barbers also said he received "credible" information alleging that some Fil-foreign players who are already playing in the league submitted falsified or fabricated documents to the DOJ thru the BI to get the necessary clearance to become eligible to play in the PBA.

He said the investigation would also review the policies of the PBA concerning the status of Fil-foreign players as well as the basis of the BI in issuing endorsements and of the DOJ in giving the necessary certification of citizenship to the cagers.

"This is not to say that I am against Fil-foreign players in the PBA if they have Filipino blood in their veins. However, those who will be proven to have falsified their documents must be dealt with severely and must be declared persona non grata. We have an Immigration Law that should be upheld and respected," said the Mindanao solon.

At the same time, he called on outgoing PBA commissioner Jun Bernardino and the league's Board of Governors to implement more stringent rules and policies that would govern the entry of Fil-foreign cagers.

Bernardino, meanwhile, assured the senator the PBA will always cooperate and ensure that the laws of the land are upheld in the employment of Fil-foreigners.

He welcomed the plan of Barbers to launch an investigation on Fil-foreign players, although he feels the league has done everything it could to address the issue.

"We welcome the move of Sen. Barbers to dig deeper into the issue of Fil-foreign players in basketball," said Bernardino. "But at the same time, we feel we have already complied with everything as far as this issue is concerned."

Bernardino said the PBA has done all it can to make sure only legitimate Fil-foreign players get to play in the league and wonders if there is anything else it can do to address these concerns.

"We agree with Sen. Barbers that respect for law should be primordial. That's why the PBA makes sure the Fil-foreigners go through the proper offices - the Bureau of Immigration for citizenship certification and the Department of Justice for confirmation," said Bernardino. "We feel we've already done our part, but if there is anything more the good Senator can suggest, we're more than willing to comply."

He said the league had initially required only a confirmation from the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation from Fil-foreign players wishing to play in the league, but has since enforced stricter measures after the first "Fil-am" controversy erupted.

As a result, Fil-foreigners now need an affirmation of Filipino citizenship from no less than the Department of Justice to be able to play in Asia's first professional basketball league.

Filipino citizenship granted by the DoJ can be repealed by only two things - a Supreme Court ruling or an act of Congress.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, Bernardino also pointed out, will only grant passports to Fil-foreigners if they have DoJ certifications.

Bernardino stressed all Fil-foreigners in the PBA got to play in the league only after going through the stringent policies enforced by the league, policies which also closed the door on players like Alvarado, Parker and even Chris Clay.

"All these players went through the process and as far as the PBA is concerned, they are legitimte," said Bernardino. "We've always held the laws of the land in the highest regard and we will always respect them."

BI legal officer Ronaldo Deray said some of the Fil-foreign cagers in question will have to be sidelined when the investigation starts.

"Actually, the Senate can bar dubious players from playing. And if that happens, many will be barred from playing in the league," said Deray, who served as the legal division chief under then Immigration Commissioner Rufus Rodriguez.

"Most of the Fil-Am players, those who are already playing in the PBA, have passed through my office. And if Senator Barbers, indeed, finds new pieces of evidence that would prove that those documents are fraudulent, then they might be barred from playing in the league," he added.

Deray said the papers were in order when they passed the BI, but he hinted that at least four players had questionable credentials.

"As far as I'm concerned, and based on those documents that I read, at least four were questionable," said Deray.

But he refused to name the Fil-foreign cagers in question, though some quarters are already floating the name of Talk eN Text center Taulava, and Batang Red Bull's frontline tandem of Davonn Harp and Pennisi.

Curiously, Taulava, the 6-foot-10 so-called Fil-Tongan, as well as Pennisi, wore the national tri-colors in the recent Busan Asian Games, where the Philippines failed to win a medal after finishing fourth despite the benefit of a 10-month training program.

Taulava was deported two years ago after failing to prove that he is a Filipino.

Everything, however, changed last year, when the slam-dunking Taulava made a silent return via Cebu that caught a lot of people by surprise.

Barbers said that while amateur players are working hard and concentrating on how to qualify in the forthcoming PBA annual draft in early January of next year, it is expected that some player agents are already in other countries particularly in the United States to scout for possible draftees who could qualify for the PBA, or if not, some players who can be mistaken as Filipino-Americans. *

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