Sporting Chance

Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Rufus Rodriguez is dead serious in weeding out Fil-shams in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). And the PBA Board of Governors owes him a debt of gratitude for protecting the league from unscrupulous mercenaries posing as Fil-foreigners.

Rodriguez probably went overboard in deporting Mobiline center Asia Taulava on the basis of a suspicion that he isn't of Filipino stock. But in the process, he delivered a strong message that the BI isn't backing down from the campaign to deport Fil-shams.

To Mobiline's credit, the Phone Pals lawyers didn't go to court in Taulava's behalf. Taulava left quietly but promised to return and bring back convincing proof that his mother Pauline is Filipina. When is the big question.

Taulava persistently tried to persuade Rodriguez that he's no impostor. He couldn't produce his mother's birth certificate -- it was supposedly burned -- but instead, produced his mother, who lives in Los Angeles, for a face-to-face crossexamination. The BI never established that Taulava's papers were fake. What Rodriguez ruled was Taulava failed to submit convincing evidence to prove his Filipino roots.

I don't agree that doubt should be the basis of Taulava's or anyone's deportation. In Kerby Raymundo's case, proof was submitted to the PBA that his high school records were tampered. There was no doubt about it. That's why the PBA ruled Raymundo ineligible this year for graduating from high school in 1997, not 1996 as he earlier claimed.

Still, Rodriguez can't be faulted for his decision on Taulava. That's his call, his prerogative. His motive isn't to embarrass anybody. He's only out to make sure the country's laws are upheld and protected. Rodriguez just wasn't convinced of Taulava's testimony -- that's his right. He never called Taulava a liar. Rodriguez' position is until Taulava can produce convincing proof, he can't be given a CR and should be deported. That's a fair decision because Taulava's stay here was premised on his status as a Fil-foreigner not as a tourist.

Rodriguez, however, left a way out for Taulava. He said he would reopen his case if Taulava could come up with redoubtable proof.

Sonny Alvarado's case is completely different from Taulava's. Alvarado never went out of his way to prove his Filipino lineage. In the BI hearings he attended, Alvarado didn't bother to explain the discrepancies in two apparently anomalous birth certificates showing his mother is Filipina. He didn't even bother to argue his mother's case. All he said was he'll abide by whatever the courts decide. His lawyers did the talking.

In fairness to Alvarado, maybe the reason why he never bothered to prove his alleged Filipino lineage was his papers appeared to be in order from the onset.

I'm curious to hear from Alvarado himself, not his lawyers. Does he insist his mother is Filipina? Can he explain the discrepancies in his mother's birth certificates? Will he talk to the press?

Alvarado is a professional athlete who plays basketball for a living. If he's a Fil-sham, I'm sure the idea of the masquerade wasn't his. It must have been the handiwork of some corrupt agent who packaged Alvarado as a Fil-Am and passed him off to Tanduay. But the fact that he played along and was paid for his participation establishes his guilt as an involved party -- assuming he's a Fil-sham.

Perhaps, Alvarado could turn into some kind of state witness to identify the mastermind of this scam. Wouldn't Tanduay like to get to the bottom of the scam, too?

From what I understand -- and I could be wrong, Tanduay isn't fighting Alvarado's deportation. What Tanduay wants is to preserve its twin semis wins over Purefoods, arguing that Alvarado entered the league as a draft pick not as a direct-hire Fil-foreigner. Tanduay's argument is the league allowed Alvarado to play as a draft eligible and therefore, it shouldn't be taken against the team for suiting him up despite the hanging threat of forfeiture.

Tanduay has the right to speak out. Unfortunately, it decided to air its side before the courts, not before the PBA Board of Governors. The unprecedented move to take legal action in order to fight a PBA ruling was ill-advised. Maybe, Tanduay didn't realize the repercussions of what it did.

It's not too late to thresh things out.

Tanduay's argument to uphold its twin semis wins should be heard. So should Bernardino's argument of forfeiture. This conflict should be resolved, not by a judge in court, but by the PBA Board.

No doubt, Tanduay is hurting because of the Alvarado brouhaha. It's a proud team and that's why it's not easy for management to accept that a ringer snaked his way into the Rhum Masters' roster.

Now that the BI has ruled on Alvarado's case, Tanduay must regroup and show it can rise from this adversity.

Coach Alfrancis Chua proved in Game 1 of the Purefoods series, that Tanduay can win without Alvarado. I'm sure he'd like the opportunity to prove that Tanduay can go all the way to win the All-Filipino title without Alvarado, too -- that feat would be a bigger feather in the team's cap.

As for Fil-shams still unexposed, the word is out. Their masquerading days are numbered. Rodriguez means business and he's cracking a heavy whip. A piece of advice to Fil-shams -- scram while the scramming's good because sooner or later, you'll get it in the neck.