WOULD you believe that Lyceum star forward CJ Perez will be considered a Fil-foreigner once he makes the jump to the PBA?
That's because of the league rule that deems all players born outside of the country as Fil-foreigners. And that rule applies to Perez, who was born in Hong Kong to a Filipino mother but was raised in Bautista, Pangasinan.
Now, you might ask, how come the 'Baby Beast' is considered a Fil-foreigner while Bobby Ray Parks is under PBA rules a local?
Well, Parks, the son of seven-time PBA Best Import awardee Bobby Parks (an American) to a Filipina mother, was born in the country in Paranaque, and therefore a local under the pro league's rules.
So what are the repercussions of that?
Well, Perez, once he makes it to the PBA, will be subject to all rules governing Fil-foreigners, including the controversial (and yet to be repealed) rule that limits all teams to five Fil-foreigners in their active lineup.
As a Fil-foreigner, the eligibility papers of Perez, who was raised in Bautista, Pangasinan and didn't go to Manila until he tried out for San Sebastian's junior team, will also come under heavy scrutiny from an eligibility committee.
That's the reason Fil-foreigners have an earlier draft application deadline than homegrown players. Their papers will be scrutinized before the final draft list is released on December 3.
Aside from Perez, also on the Fil-foreign list is shifty guard Trevis Jackson, who had an impressive stint with Gamboa Coffee Mix-St. Clare and Marinerong Pilipino-TIP in the PBA D-League.
Adamson playmaker Robbie Manalang is also in the pool, together with National University sniper Matt Salem, who won a title with Go for Gold this past 2018 PBA D-League Foundation Cup.
Completing that roster of Fil-foreigners are CJ Isit of Mapua, Paul Varilla of University of the East, and John Ragasa of Victoria Sports-MLQU.
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