OVER the last few years, the PBA has finally decided to relax its eligibility rules on Fil-foreign players, in an effort to lure more overseas-based prospects to its league.
But one controversial league law remains: the rule limiting the number of Fil-foreign players that a team can name to its lineup. That rule has come under fire for being outdated' and 'discriminatory' and its implementing guidelines 'confusing' to say the least, but somehow it is enforced until this time.
The good news is, the pro league is finally looking into it.
According to league sources, the Commissioner's Office has revisited the controversial rule this year with the help of new legal counsel Ogie Narvasa and is in the process of preparing its recommendations to the board.
Any changes, if any, will have to be approved by the PBA board of governors.
So what should the PBA do?
Amend the rule? Raise the Fil-foreign limit? Or scrap the rule altogether?
As it is, the league has over the years steadily increased the number of Fil-foreigners a team can put in its roster. From the original five, PBA ballclubs can now put seven Fil-foreigners in the active lineup, plus one on the reserve list.
However, that has hardly appease critics who feel the 'outdated' rule is 'discriminatory' to mixed-race players and should be scrapped.
The definition of 'Fil-foreign players' under the PBA rule has also come under fire for the confusion it has sown.
Under the law, any player born overseas is considered a Fil-foreigner. Even those born to Filipino parents. On the other hand, a player of mixed race will be classified a local if he is born in the country.
READ: Why Pangasinan-raised CJ Perez is a Fil-foreigner under PBA rules
Under those parameters, CJ Perez is classified as a Fil-foreigner even if he grew up in Bautista, Pangasinan, all because the SMB guard and Gilas Pilipinas mainstay was born in Hong Kong to a Filipina mother and Nigerian father.
The same holds true for SMB's Kyt Jimenez, who is classified as a local because he was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Conversely, mixed-race players born in the Philippines, like former TNT player Ray Parks, are considered locals. Same with NorthPort's Abu Tratter, who was born in Laguna to an American father.
With the review now ongoing, expect some changes to this rule.
What should it be?
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