SURPRISING as Andre Paras' application for the PBA Rookie Draft was, all the more shocking was him being a Fil-foreigner in the eyes of the pro league.
The son of two-time PBA MVP Benjie was curiously one of the players who the league said have yet to submit the necessary documents proving his Filipino citizenship to the PBA office, two days before a league-imposed deadline.
It's quite strange for Paras to be considered a Fil-foreigner given that he is as Filipino as balut. But it turned out the ruling only boils down to one thing: his place of birth.
You see, Andre was born in Los Angeles, Calfornia back on Nov. 1, 1995 when Benjie and his estranged wife, actress Jackie Forster, were still together.
Quirky PBA rules stipulate that anyone born overseas must prove his claim to Filipino citizenship regardless of bloodline, just like any other Fil-foreigner.
The same cannot be said of Andre's younger brother and University of the Philippines standout Kobe, who was born in Quezon City at September 19, 1997 and will be looked at as a local whenever he chooses to apply for the draft.
It's the same quirky rule which applied for the Ganuelas-Rossers, with Terrafirma winger Matt being considered as a local as he was born in Olongapo, while his brother Brandon is labeled a Fil-foreigner for being born in San Diego, California.
Like Paras, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser is also one of the handful of names who have yet to submit the required documents to the pro league.
Fil-foreign applicants have until Friday (March 5) to sumit to the league a Certificate of Recognition as Filipino Citizen from the Department of Justice and the Affirmation of Recognition as Filipino Citizen from the Bureau of Immigration to be able to make it to the final list of applicants for the March 14 draft.
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