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WITH
five days left before the annual Philippine Basketball
Association (PBA) Rookie Draft, two players who are
projected to go 1-2 have yet to submit the required
papers to be able to join the activity this Sunday at
the Market! Market! Mall in Taguig City.
Filipino-American Gabe Norwood and half-Pinoy,
half-German Jared Dillinger have yet to comply with the
requirements set by the PBA despite the extension given
by the league.
This has
raised doubts if these foreign-born players really have
the papers to prove their Filipino lineage.
“I don’t
know why they are taking that long to secure their
papers. If they have really Filipino blood, then why are
they having a hard time to complete the requirements?” a
source privy to the issue told the BusinessMirror.
“The PBA
has given them extension to submit their papers, which
is unfair to other Fil-foreign players who worked hard
to comply and beat their deadline. Ang nangyayari
tuloy, parang may special treatment na nangyayari,”
added the source, who asked that he not be named owing
to his relationship with one of the potential draftees.
Originally, the PBA had set a July 8 deadline to submit
the photocopied papers of the Fil-foreigner applicants.
It was moved to August 15 but up to now, Norwood and
Dillinger have yet to meet the requirements.
Before
leaving yesterday for a board meeting in Macau, PBA
commissioner Sonny Barrios said they are giving all the
Fil-foreign applicants up to Friday to submit the
authenticated or original copies of their required
documents.
Barrios
already released a statement saying the board had agreed
to give Norwood special considerations with his papers
for playing on a Philippine team that was backed by the
league.
Norwood
needs only to submit the affirmation of his citizenship
from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the recognition
papers from the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation
(BID).
But even
if the former George Mason University standout manages
to secure those two requirements, the BusinessMirror
source was questioning his absence from the Rookie Camp,
which was a mandatory requirement for any aspirant.
“The PBA
required all the applicants to attend the Rookie Camp.
Norwood was not there,” the source said.
In the
case of Dillinger, a six-foot-five shooting guard from
the University of Hawaii who is being eyed by Talk ’N
Text, the player had only secured the DOJ affirmation
but still lacks the BID paper. Norwood is currently
applying for the immigration affirmation as of this
point.
Some Fil-foreign
applicants were also asked to submit a National
Statistics Office certified birth certificate. The
BusinessMirror source also doubted if Norwood and
Dillinger were able to secure one. |
