Bennie Boatwright’s stint in the 20th Asian Games is in serious danger after the Senate failed to tackle his naturalization for the third and last reading due to lack of quorum on Monday and Tuesday.

House Bill No. 6639, or An Act Granting Philippine Citizenship to Bennie Francois Boatwright III, was among the measures lined up for the final reading during what could have been the Philippine Senate’s Session No. 69.

But Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and 10 other members of the majority bloc refused to show up after one of their members, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, was arrested for non-bailable plunder and graft cases upon the order of the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Monday.

With that, the chamber failed to reach a quorum with only 10 of the required 13 senators in attendance.

The same drama happened again on Tuesday with the Cayetano group snubbing the session, much to the disappointment of minority senators who are hoping to pass some key legislative measures that include the naturalization of Boatwright.

Boatwright was present at the plenary on Monday and Tuesday together with Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) official Xander Gubat.

The Senate still has a session on Wednesday before going on recess starting Thursday. It will not resume until 26 July, putting Boatwright in a tight race against time in his bid to become a naturalized Filipino for major international events, including the Asian Games in Nagoya in September.

If his naturalization bid gets signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos on time, the 29-year-old Boatwright will be eligible to see action in the Asian Games since organizers only require competitors to have the passports of the country they wish to represent.

Boatwright could have been a big boost to the country’s title defense as Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone will have the luxury of deploying a super team featuring him, Justin Brownlee, Ange Kouame, Kai Sotto, Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos and AJ Edu.

SBP executive director Erika Dy admitted that the delay is a big blow to their timeline.

“It’s going to get delayed for sure. Actually, the third reading was supposed to be held last week,” Dy said in a message to DAILY TRIBUNE on Tuesday morning.

“Senator Kiko (Pangilinan) expressed confidence that it’s going to push through today. But who knows? It’s out of our control.”

In a statement, Pangilinan, a member of the minority bloc, ripped the non-appearance of majority bloc senators as it left Boatwright’s naturalization and other key measures hanging with only two session days left before adjournment.

“Important measures were left hanging because of the majority boycott, including the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, the Anti-Hospital Detention Bill, the confirmation of generals before the Commission on Appointments and the bills granting Philippine citizenship to Bennie Boatwright III and Matthew James Ramos,” Pangilinan said.