Naturalization bill up today

With the clock ticking away, Smart-Gilas hopes to beat the deadline for the inclusion of 6-10 Marcus Douthit in the national basketball team lineup for the Guangzhou Asian Games on Nov. 12-27.

Douthit’s eligibility hinges on Congress approval of his application for Philippine citizenship via naturalization. At the moment, Douthit still travels with a US passport. He used the travel document to fly to China last week and played a major role in Smart-Gilas’ runner-up finish at the Asian Basketball Association championships. Smart-Gilas lost an 83-82 heartbreaker to Korea in the finals last Sunday.

No doubt, Douthit will make an impact in Guangzhou wearing a Philippine jersey. The Los Angeles Lakers’ second round pick in the 2004 draft has more than proved himself worthy of coach Rajko Toroman’s trust.

“Marcus can hold his own against the behemoths in Asia, including those from China and Iran,” said Rep. Robbie Puno who authored House Bill No. 2307 seeking to grant citizenship to the Providence College center. “His experience and work ethic will contribute immensely to the training and development of Filipino basketball players.”

Puno filed the bill last Aug. 9 and it will be discussed in a hearing before the Committee on Justice chaired by Rep. Neil Tupaz Jr. today.

There is a matter of urgency in approving the bill as the Asian Games organizing committee has already asked for the country’s athletes by name. SBP executive director Noli Eala said if Douthit’s citizenship is approved and his Philippine passport issued, he will be included in the Smart-Gilas roster as a late replacement. Because of time constraints, Douthit will apply for accreditation as a Filipino athlete in Guangzhou unlike the other athletes who were pre-accredited in Manila. But that depends on whether Douthit is cleared to receive a Philippine passport.

FIBA allows each country to enlist a single naturalized player with immediate effectivity upon confirmation of his new citizenship. In the past, FIBA permitted the use of two naturalized players each with a three-year prior notice and residency. The Philippines availed of the previous provision by suiting up Jeff Moore and Dennis Still, two Americans who were naturalized, to win the FIBA-Asia championship in Malaysia in 1986. But the rule has since been revised to allow only one naturalized player each country.

Recruiting players for naturalization is nothing new in the international game. The US, in fact, has employed naturalized players despite its extensive population of talented cagers. Among them were Nigeria’s Hakeem Olajuwon, Jamaica’s Pat Ewing and Panama’s Rolando Blackman. Australia’s list of naturalized players dates back to Davidson’s Rocky Crosswhite in the 1970s and counts on other Americans, including former NBA cager Ricky Grace, Darnell Mee and Leroy Loggins. Spain began using naturalized players in the 1960s with Clifford Luyk and Wayne Brabender and later with Walter Szczerbiak, Johnny Rogers and Michael Smith. Canada has suited up naturalized players like South Africa’s Steve Nash, Denmark’s Lars Hansen and Haiti’s Samuel Dalembert.

Former PBA import Howard Carter took out French citizenship to play for the national team so did other Americans like Mirsad Hott and Darius Washington for Macedonia, J. R. Bremer for Bosnia-Herzegovina, J. R. Holden and Kelly McCarty for Russia, Melvin Sanders for Georgia, Jackson Vroman and Matt Freije for Lebanon, Rasheim Wright for Jordan and Dan Weiss and former PBA import J. R. Henderson for Japan.The proposal for Douthit to acquire Philippine citizenship actually reflects an appreciation of the globalization of the international game. The Philippines won’t be doing anything wrong, legally or morally, by granting citizenship to Douthit. It’s within FIBA rules and Philippine law allows it with clearance from the legislative arm of government.

 It also wouldn’t be a first for a naturalized athlete to represent the Philippines. Moore and Still were way ahead of their time. Akiko Thomson is another example and proudly won countless honors for the Philippines as a national swimmer. Today, Thomson serves as a commissioner with the PSC.

“The grant of citizenship by specific decree or legislation has benefited other countries,” noted Puno. “An example is Russia whose stature in European basketball skyrocketed from eighth place in 2005 to first place in 2007 in large part due to the contributions of Holden who was naturalized by the issuance of a direct decree by President Vladimir Putin.

“Legislation by presidential decree is a thing of the past. However, recent legislation has shown that Congress confers Philippine citizenship to those who have contributed immensely to the development of the Philippines. Douthit is in a position to make a significant contribution to Philippine basketball and Philippine sports and is accordingly, eligible for conferment of the honor of being a Philippine citizen.”

Puno said Douthit’s naturalization will be a boost to the country’s campaign to regain basketball supremacy in Asia.

“The Filipino people have witnessed the abrupt fall from grace of the once mighty Philippine national basketball team which has been shrugged off in international competitions by our Asian neighbors who were able to adapt to the demands of international competitions by naturalizing foreign athletes,” said Puno.

“FIBA allows naturalized players to play for the national team of the country which naturalized him or her. Taking cue of this development, our Asian neighbors lost no time in naturalizing American-born basketball players to boost their stock in international competitions. Taking advantage of the prescribed rules of competition by FIBA and as part of a sports development program to help bring basketball in the Philippines to greater heights, the SBP has done a rigorous search for a player who would aid the country to reclaim its rightful place in international basketball competitions. It is in this purpose that this bill seeks to grant Philippine citizenship to Marcus Douthit.”

Of course, Douthit’s naturalization will not mean an automatic gold medal for the Philippines in the Asian Games. A lot will depend on whether Toroman is able to enlist PBA stars Asi Taulava, Kelly Williams and James Yap. A lot will also depend on the quality of opposition and the performance of the holdover nucleus consisting of Chris Tiu, Jayvee Casio, Mac Baracael, Mark Barroca, Dylan Ababou, Greg Slaughter, Chris Lutz, Marcio Lassiter and Japeth Aguilar. But with Douthit in harness, the road to the top becomes considerably smoother.