Ban foreign players

“As a nationalistic fellow, I’d rather that the limelight be on our Filipino players.

I cannot agree more with House Resolution 388 filed by Deputy Speaker (ds) Mikee Romero (1-PACMAN partylist) last Monday to prohibit collegiate leagues from recruiting, acquiring and using foreigners as players. As a sports fan myself, I am all for a good competitive show, but there has to be limits on the players we field, especially if it is detrimental to the development of our sports programs and local athletes.

To clarify, what DS Romero filed is a resolution, not a bill. This means that a congressional inquiry will be called by the proper committee after its referral after being taken up on first reading.

My gut feel is that it will be referred to the House Committee on Youth and Sports Development, chaired by Rep. Eric Martinez (2nd District, Valenzuela), another basketball fanatic who has done wonders in his district, which he aggressively seeks to turn into the “Basketball Capital of the Philippines.” Take my advice and go check Rep. Martinez’s Instagram account to see his pimped-up basketball courts and his video on how he beat Lamar Odom in a 3-point shootout.

At the House inquiry, we can expect resource persons from the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to attend in order to shed light on this issue. I expect a couple of hearings be held, after which a committee report shall be prepared wherein recommendations shall be made that may end up as a House bill for legislation, or a strong directive to the proper government agencies and private bodies to implement said recommendations. It is possible that no new law may come out of this, but what’s important is that this is discussed on record before our legislators.

If there’s any proof of this issue, it has to be the dismal performance of the Philippines in the recent FIBA World Cup where we finished dead last. We had to rely on our naturalized player, Andray Blatche, to do all the heavy lifting. Watching the Gilas team was painful. The lack of time to prepare was evident with all the turnovers and lack of team chemistry. I think the praise received by CJ Perez and Robert Bolick was misplaced since they scored doing hero-ball when they were brought in as substitute players after the opponent’s lead was already huge.

One may argue that this whole custom of scouting and bringing in foreign players to the collegiate leagues started in San Beda at the NCAA. This trickled to the UAAP where nearly each team has its own import. In the Ateneo-UP men’s basketball game last Sunday, Angelo Kouame led the better team in points and rebounds. (Yes, I am from Ateneo.) The losing team’s Bright Akhuetie, the league’s reigning MVP, got into foul trouble early, and took the cue from his head coach in criticizing the referees, calling them “sh*tty, very stupid,” which should merit him a suspension, again, just like his head coach. These imports can thus be what’s best and worst in a single game, integral factors that determine which team shall win or lose.

As a nationalistic fellow, I’d rather that the limelight be on our Filipino players. The counter arguments are these foreign nationals’ freedom of education and the lack of opportunities in their home country that led them to the Philippines. But our country has the higher duty of protecting and honing its youth it may in the future field in competitive sports against other countries.

Another abuse that the House committee should look into is the eligibility of students who already graduated from a non-UAAP school to enroll for a master’s course in a UAAP school and play a year in the UAAP. Hence, the moniker, “one-and-dones.” This rule has been around for sometime, a loophole exploited by National University last year with Gilas cadet Troy Rike, and capitalized on by a number of schools this year, most prominently De La Salle University with its three Fil-foreigner players from the US, and University of the East’s Roy Suerte, an MVP player in CESAFI.

In the end, us sports fans just want to see a competitive match, yet there comes so much pride in seeing our national team succeed in global competitions. The House committee may look into the homegrown player rules of European countries in football, and see how they have successfully enforced it (e.g., Germany). The scouting must be more aggressive in bringing in Fil-foreigners at an early age to ensure eligibility in playing at FIBA competitions. In other words, the bigger picture should be seen at the House hearings that should not just encompass collegiate level, but also the professional level.

Email: darren.dejesus@gmail.com or tweet him @darrendejesus.