Nowadays, it seems that along with the other goods being smuggled into the country, Fil-foreigners have also begun invading our "Bayan ng Superstars". This isn’t something new. We have had Fil-foreign players in the Philippine Basketball Association since before. Growing up, I rooted for Great Taste mainly because of Fil-American Ricky Brown. I cheered on as the "Quick Brown Fox" dazzled the crowd with his snipings. And of course there were other Fil-Americans like Willie Pearson who played for Alaska and Jeffrey Graves who saw action for San Miguel. In those times however, no one was complaining against them.
I remember I had just started covering for then Vintage sports when the hype broke out about a certain 6-9 Fil-Tongan who caught everyone’s eye in the Philippine Basketball League. One conference was enough to show the basketball world that he was ready to join the pros. From here began the exodus of Fil-foreigners to the Philippines. Those who were good enough to play but not good enough for the NBA started making their way to the PBA. And for me, this was the start of a paradox . . . the beginning of something bright and shady in the PBA.
On one hand, it was something that the fans looked forward to every game day. The spectacular moves these half-Filipino, half-something players brought about a surge of excitement in the plays. On the other hand it was something good that led to something bad. Because of the impressive performance of these players, teams started scouting for more of them. And as in any case where anybody wants more, greed took over – anything and everything for a victory. Hence the fake documents, the Fil-shams. Do the names Sonny Alvarado and Rob Parker ring a bell?
Shame on everyone involved in these kinds of fraud! We claim to love the sport of basketball. We profess to do everything for love of the game. But is faking documents to win at all cost justified? Certainly not. We have been taught as early as kindergarten that cheating is bad. And of course there’s the proverbial adage– "The end does not justify the mean".
Now the Senate is in the picture as investigations against alleged fake Fil-Ams resume. The question is: Is the process reliable? And more than that, will they have enough power to enforce stiff penalties to those who will be found guilty? What will the PBA do about it? Penalize the player, manager, and the team that got the Fil-sham? It is only through this that the PBA will be able to get its message across and curb future fraudulent acts.
In a way, the locals have a point. One too many times these Fil-foreigners barge into the country to show up at draft day, and take up slots in the PBA teams. In essence, they deny our locals their livelihood and more, their childhood dream. And while here, they figure in scandals left and right, tainting the sporting world and failing to give good examples to their fans.
They should be checked. Like the vehicles coming in from other countries, these players should undergo inspection and testing. Firstly, their papers should be well documented and legit. Secondly, they shouldn’t be allowed to just show up at draft day and grab slots from locals who worked their way up. Perhaps they should be tested. One conference in an amateur, semi-professional league could be a requirement. That way, these Fil-foreigners will be able to acquaint themselves with Pinoy style of basketball before entering the pros. And since they will be living in the Philippines during this time, they would also be able to adjust to the way of life in Manila.
Incoming PBA Commissioner Noli Eala has been vocal regarding his rather radical idea of basketball without borders. Globalization is the trend. Why keep the PBA from indulging in it? This will indeed pave the way for transfer of technology, making our local players more competitive, making the PBA more exciting.
Nonetheless, it shouldn’t be a free-for-all arena. See what globalization and import liberalization did to our small local businesses? Importation has already killed a lot of local Filipino manufacturers. And it continues to do so. Small Filipino entrepreneurs lay helpless as they watch their livelihood to its death.
This is something we shouldn’t let happen in the PBA. Rules and standards should be set up in order to regulate this so-called globalization in basketball. Inspection and testing are the keys. There must be a healthy balance between improvement with transfer of technology by taking in players from abroad and development of skills and talents in the grassroots.