SENATE majority leader Francis Tolentino yesterday said Gilas Pilipinas mainstay Justin Brownlee must enjoy the rights and privileges of being a naturalized Filipino citizen and should be allowed to play in the Philippine Basketball Association as a local.
Tolentino issued this statement as the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights tackled Senate Resolution No. 701, which urged the committee to look into the practice of local sports associations of not allowing naturalized citizens to play as locals in domestic leagues.
Tolentino questioned the alleged discriminatory policy being practiced by the PBA.
Brownlee became a naturalized Filipino in January 2023.
“Under the same policy, the PBA actually allows foreign nationals who can show they have Filipino lineage to play as locals. So, why deprive Brownlee and other naturalized players like him of the same privilege? It must be stressed that they are Filipinos, not just on paper, but by law,” Tolentino said.
PBA Deputy Commissioner Eric Emmanuel Castro said the pro league will revisit its policies amid the issue raised by Tolentino and several senators, including Aquilino Pimentel III, who chairs the committee; Sherwin Gatchalian, Mark Villar, and Ronald dela Rosa.
Representatives from the Department of Justice, Office of the Solicitor General, and the Department of Labor and Employment said they are unaware of any law that prohibits Brownlee from playing as a local.
Tolentino said Brownlee helped to bring honor and accolades to the country as a member of the Gilas Pilipinas team, including the historic gold in men’s basketball in the Asian Games in 2023, “the first after 61 years.”
“Congress passed a law to make Justin a Filipino not for the sole purpose of having a naturalized import for international competitions, but because we recognize what he could contribute to nation-building,” Tolentino said.
Sen. Christopher Go, who chairs the Committee on Sports, agreed that naturalized athletes should enjoy the rights of a Filipino but raised concerns about potential “mismatches” if they were allowed to compete as locals in the PBA.
“Hindi ko gustong mawala ‘yung excitement ng mga laro dahil sa mga posibleng mismatch (I don’t want the excitement of the games gone due to possible mismatch),” said Go, who said he has been an avid PBA fan “for the last 43 years.”
“Halimbawa, si Justin Brownlee maging local player na, tapos may import na, parang dalawa na ang magiging import niyan…Pag naging mismatch ang laro, mawawala ang gana ng mga manonood (For example, if Justin Brownlee is finally allowed to play as a local player in a conference which allows teams to get imports, it will appear that that team will have two imports playing…The audience would lose their appetite in watching the games due to mismatch),” he added.
Castro said the PBA has three player categories: local or homegrown talents, foreign players with Filipino lineage, and imports.
He said there is no specific category for naturalized players “so they are classified as imports.”
Castro pointed to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rule that allows only one naturalized player per team, like Brownlee and past players like Marcus Douthit and Andray Blatche.
He said creating a separate category for naturalized players might disrupt the competitive balance among the PBA’s 12 teams but added the PBA would look into the matter.
Dela Rosa said there could be potential challenges in classifying naturalized players as locals, and cautioned against scenarios that could disrupt competitive balance or harm the league’s integrity.
He said the Senate will not endorse measures that might jeopardize the PBA’s standing and appeal.
