BASKETBALL player Avery Scharer was detained by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for allegedly using a fake Philippine passport.
Immigration officers took the Fil-Am guard in custody upon his arrival from Canada at Terminal 1 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Dec. 15 after noticing "major discrepancies and irregularities in his Philippine passport," BI said.
[READ: Way past age limit, Scharer still hopes to make PBA some day]
The Immigration officer on duty, the BI added, reported the matter to his duty supervisor who then endorsed the case to BI's forensic documents laboratory which deemed Scharer's passport as "fraudulent."
“Our forensic equipment confirmed the suspicion of our officers. The Philippine passport he presented contained tampered pages, including the biographical data page. His attempt to conceal these alternations cannot escape the scrutiny of our inspectors,” said BI commissioner Atty. Norman Tansingco.
The 35-year old, who claimed in interviews that his mother is from La Union, has tried numerous times to make it to the PBA, with his last attempt in the last Rookie Draft earlier this year.
He got thumbed down for his failure to submit the necessary documents.
The 6-2 guard was supposed to be part of the Zamboanga Valientes crew which will see action in the upcoming ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) Invitational in Singapore this January.
The closest he got to playing in the Philippines was in 2015 when he was drafted by Wangs Basketball in the PBA D-League but did not suit up after having problems with his papers.
Scharer has been a regular in leagues around the Southeast Asian region, first playing for the Westports Malaysia Dragons in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) where he posted 15.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 2.9 steals during the 2013-14 season.
He also suited up as an import in Thailand and Malaysia, first for the OSK Basketball Club and with Hi-Tech Bangkok City, and previously in Mongolia with the Aravtuud Bulls.
Tansingco also cried foul on Scharer's claims on social media that he was wrongfully detained.
"Posting false information on social media to gain sympathy despite the violation further manifests undesirability. There are no sacred cows, as any foreign national who have violated immigration laws and presented fake documentation will be arrested," he said.
Scharer, 36, has since been turned over to the bureau's legal division for inquest proceedings on charges of violating the Philippine passport act and remains at the BI detention center in Bicutan.
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