PBA veteran guard Matt Ganuelas Rosser aired his disappointment after younger brother Brandon failed to qualify for the 2020 PBA Rookie Draft due to what he rued was an 'outdated' eligibility rule.
Rosser, 30, took to Twitter to express his displeasure over the curious case of Brandon, who still was required by the league to still submit citizenship papers despite being the full brother of a five-year league veteran.
Why?
Unlike his brother Matt who was born in Olongapo City back in 1990, the younger Ganuelas Rosser was born in the US where the family was forced to move after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo.
Under the PBA eligibility rules, all players born outside the country, even those to Filipino citizens, will have to submit documents from the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Immigration to qualify for the draft.
[See Why Brandon Ganuelas Rosser is listed as a Fil-Am and brod Matt is a local]
Securing DoJ and Immigration documents have become harder during the COVID-19 pandemic. The process is blamed for the disqualification of six other Fil-foreign applicants, including first-rounders Jason Brickman and Jeremiah Gray.
"An outdated rule kept my brother Brandon out of this year's draft," Ganuelas Rosser, who was part of the San Miguel package that was sent to Terrafirma in the CJ Perez trade, wrote on Twitter.
The PBA's eligibility rules were put in place in the 2000s after being rocked by the 'Fil-Sham' controversy that saw the league opening its doors to Fil-foreigners with dubious claims to Filipino lineage and citizenship.
Ganuelas Rosser said he hopes the sad incident will serve as a catalyst for change.
"Brandon will have a future in this league, but I hope this can be an example of why we should amend some of these regulations. I believe the days of Fil-Shams are behind us," he added.
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