Tigilan na ang pagkuha ng foreign players--Romero

MANILA, Philippines — Bilang na ang araw ng mga foreign players na naglalaro sa collegiate leagues.

Kahapon ay nagsumite si House Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero (1 Pacman Partylist) ng House Resolution No. 388 na nagpapatigil at nagbabawal sa mga eskuwelahan sa collegiate leagues na humugot at magpalaro na non-Filipino citizens.

Ayon kay Romero,  inaagawan ng mga ito ang mga homegrown players ng pagkakataong mapaunlad ang kanilang kakayahan.

“I am urging the proper committee of the House of Representatives in aid of this legislation to stop and prohibit all collegiate leagues from recruiting, acquiring and using non-Filipinos as players because in effect, it stops the growth and shortchanges the deve-lopment of various sports programs in the Philippines,” ani Romero.

Kumukuha ang mga paaralan ng foreign players na ginagawa nilang student-athletes para paglaruin sa mga colleges leagues.

“Lest I’ll be accused of some kind of a killjoy, I am doing this for the good of Philippine basketball. The crushing defeats we suffered in the recent FIBA World Cup has forced me to make this resolution,” wika ni Romero na nagsilbing godfather ng Philippine basketball team na kumuha ng gold medal noong 2007 SEA Games sa Ratchasima, Thailand.

May mga paaralan sa UAAP at NCAA na kumukuha ng mga foreign players para palakasin ang kanilang tsansa sa korona.

“I’m not targeting any school here. All I want is to give our homegrown players the chance to improve and compete to the best of their ability,” ani Romero. “Acquiring foreigners is not only counter-productive but is also more expensive to maintain a team.”

Idinagdag pa ng team owner ng NorthPort sa PBA na dapat maka-hanap ng paraan ang mga collegiate leagues para mapigilan ang nasabing “malpractice’ para sa kapakanan ng mga homegrown athletes.