TNT includes Asi in lineup for PBA semis

On the strength of a Court of Appeals ruling affirming Asi Taulava’s Filipino citizenship, Talk N Text has formally included the hulking 6-foot-9 center in its semifinal lineup in the ongoing PBA Fiesta Conference.

Eduardo Francisco, Taulava’s lawyer, said Talk N Text, through its team manager Ricky Vargas, also submitted last Friday the updated and duly authenticated citizenship documents of Taulava to the PBA.

Once Taulava plunges back into action, his possible stint in the Philippine team gearing up for future international competitions will surely be discussed by the PBA and Chot Reyes, the head coach of the national team.

Taulava’s entry into the national pool will serve the country in good stead in its bid to regain supremacy in Asia during the 2007 ABC Championship and at the same time earn a slot to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"The papers of Asi were submitted to comply with the PBA memorandum that Fil-foreign players have to present anew their citizenship documents to be able to continue playing," Francisco said.

Although the PBA has also required Taulava to get a favorable ruling from the Department of Justice (DOJ) on his citizenship, Francisco said it would be prudent on the part of the PBA to waive this second requirement in the light of the June 7 decision of the Court of Appeals (CA) affirming the Filipino citizenship of the player.

"The very illuminating CA decision constitutes a direct reversal of the DOJ resolution which was used by the PBA as basis to suspend Asi," said Francisco. "At the same time, there was nothing in this DOJ resolution that was adverse to Asi, thus it cannot be used by the PBA to suspend him."

The seventh division of the appellate court affirmed in toto the ruling of the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) that Taulava cannot be stripped of his Filipino citizenship by the DOJ and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) through summary proceedings.

The CA ruled that issues of citizenship can only be resolved through direct court action and not through collateral proceedings.

In his letter to the PBA dated June 10, Vargas appealed to the PBA to immediately allow Taulava to resume playing for Talk N’ Text.

Vargas furnished the PBA a copy of the CA ruling and the additional documents which Taulava submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the DOJ last April 20, namely:

• The death certificate of Taulava’s maternal grand mother Ana Hernandez which was issued by the government of Tonga, affirming her being a Filipino citizen at the time of her death;

• The birth certificate of Taulava; and

• The marriage certificate of Taulava’s parents, affirming that his mother was a Filipino citizen at the time of the marriage.

The official Tongan documents were duly authenticated by the Philippine consulate in Auckland, New Zealand.

The new documents, along with the papers submitted by Taulava in 2001, proved that his mother Pauline was still a Filipino citizen when she gave birth to Taulava in 1973, thereby making him a Filipino citizen under the 1973 Philippine Constitution.

It was only in 1976 that Pauline was naturalized as Tongan national, the documents showed.

Among the other documents Taulava submitted were the certificate of recognition issued to him by the BI in 2001, the affirmation of the certificate made by the DOJ, and duly notarized affidavits of people residing in the Philippines attesting to the Filipino citizenship of Taulava’s grand mother and mother.