Barbers, the chair of the Committee on Games and Amusements, told The Star that he wants to help as many people as he can, no matter how small their needs may be. One group he is trying to help now is the big group of local PBA players who want fake Fil-Ams out of the league. This is in line with resolutions previously filed with his committee.
"We received a manifesto from more than 100 Filipino players, airing their grievances and their position, which I'm taking now," Barbers explains.
"They are not against Fil-Am players, as long as their documentation is genuine."
Barbers, a huge MICAA fan and former owner of the Surigao Warriors in the MBA, was shocked to discover that some of the Fil-Ams in question did not even know where their mothers were from.
"There are Fil-Ams who don’t even know the provinces or towns of their mother or father," he smirks. "We discovered that there are Fil-Ams who don’t have Filipino IDs (Identification certificates issued by the Department of Justice) and who don't have any documents from the DOJ. This, according to the BID is already violative of processes and is grounds for summary deportation."
The former police officer had already agreed to a request from PBA commissioner Jun Bernardino to postpone the next hearings until after the holiday season. However, local players again went into an uproar, hand-delivering a request for the investigation to continue. They argue that the Fil-Ams will all fly back to the US and further delay the proceedings.
Barbers is willing, if he can get a quorum of other senators on his committee. But come what may, he believes there will be concrete results by January.
"If, indeed, there are Fil-Ams who are fake Fil-Ams, they would be making a mockery of our justice system in this country," Barbers emphasizes. "So we have to uphold the justice system and protect the Filipino players at the same time."
One thing Barbers unearthed is that the investigation conducted into the true personalities of the Fil-Am players was inadequate. The immigration hearing officers were asked if they invited the alleged parents of these players. They didn’t.
"Is the documentation enough reason for you to declare him as a Fil-Am?" Barbers asked.
Barbers also questions the alleged disparity between the perks given to Fil-Ams vis-a-vis pure Pinoys. Frankly, he doesn’t believe they are any better than locally-bred players.
"To be honest with you, my position is, if we could only go back to the MICAA days when the Rizal Memorial was always packed," he declares. "Imagine sending fake Filipinos to the Olympic Games or what not. Iba talaga yung Filipino. I was very active before watching MICAA. I could see the difference. Now, people don’t watch as much."
In closing, Barbers said that this is the opportunity for us to rally behind the true Filipinos and help provide more openings for local players to develop. After all, who wouldn’t want to watch them play?