THE House committee on justice yesterday approved a measure granting Philippine citizenship to American basketball player Justin Brownlee, who is expected to reinforce Gilas Pilipinas.
Brownlee, who was present during the committee hearing, thanked the panel for approving House Bill No. 825 filed by Rep. Michael Romero (PL, 1-Pacman) that was voted upon on the motion of Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., known for his support for athletes.
Romero, himself a sportsman, said the 6-foot-6 Brownlee, born on April 23, 2988, has been a permanent fixture in Philippine basketball and a fan favorite of Filipinos since 2016.
In his sponsorship speech, Romero cited Brownlee’s role in the many victories of the Barangay Ginebra squad in the PBA.
“Throughout Mr. Brownlee’s very decorated and illustrious career in the PBA, he was able to attain five PBA championships and two Best Import awards with career averages of 28.9 points per game, 12 rebounds per game, 5.6 assists per game, 1.9 steals per game, and 1.7 blocks per game. He is also the first PBA import to record 400+ 3-pointers made and ranks 1st among PBA imports for 3-points made with 404 as of July 24, 2022. Lastly, he ranks as fifth in the all-time PBA imports scoring leaders with 4,539 points as of April 2022,” Romero said.
Romero said Brownlee “has brought enormous pride and joy to all of Filipino basketball fans through his hard work in the PBA.
“On his part and since 2018, Mr. Brownlee has been consistent with his desire to make our country his permanent home and is very much willing and able to represent the Philippines in the international basketball scene as a member of (the) Gilas Pilipinas Men’s Basketball team,” he said.
Romero said the measure will provide Gilas Pilipinas with “a truly dependable ally in their quest to proudly represent our country in the upcoming February 2023 sixth and final window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers which will be hosted by the Philippines, and the FIBA World Cup 2023.”
