On Monday, SPIN.ph reported on House Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero's proposal to impose a ban on foreign student-athletes in collegiate leagues, which according to him "is a total disregard to the true meaning of fair play."
The 1-Pacman representative and NorthPort Batang Pier owner explained via House Resolution No. 388: "I am urging the proper committee of the House of Representatives in aid of legislation to stop and prohibit all collegiate leagues from recruiting, acquiring and using non-Filipinos as players because in effect, it stops the growth and shortchanges the development of various sports programs in the Philippines."
He even went as far as saying that the practice of recruiting "imports" gives certain schools "undue advantages," thus "destroying the beautiful game of basketball."
The development elicited an assortment of opinions on social media, and we're not just talking about keyboard warriors merely piggybacking on or shunning Romero's bill. Most Facebook users actually went into detail about their respective arguments, whether they're pro or con.
NOTE: Comments were edited for clarity.
Instead of totally prohibiting universities from utilizing foreign players, netizens suggested measures to "limit and regulate" the dependence on these so-called "reinforcements."
Harvey Mateo
"Kawawa din 'yung foreign players na nagbabakasakali dito sa 'Pinas, stepping stone nila 'yun para makasali sa leagues sa ibang bansa. 'Wag sanang i-ban, i-limit lang."
Conrad Lariosa
"'Yung contract sana nila ang i-check. Alam ko, 'yung iba ni-recruit talaga na may bayad. Okay lang namang maglaro sila dito sa 'Pinas. Katulad na lang nung paglipat ni (Ben) Mbala sa La Salle galing SWU (Southwestern University), imposibleng walang naganap na negotiations dun."
Chot Rementilla
"Exposure to big, fast, and strong athletes help develop our young guns in all aspects of the sport, para 'di (mga) halimaw na slasher sa UAAP pero kamote sa PBA. I would agree na if pwedeng mag-impose ng time utilization cap para 'di rin sila sobrang babad. Best of both worlds lang."
Some even cited Filipino ballers like Kobe Paras and Ray Parks trying their luck overseas to combat the logic behind the proposal. Others called for a deeper probe into shady deals and arrangements.
Kenneth Villanueva
"'Yun lang mga nagbabakasali na maglaro ng basketball na foreigner dito sa 'Pinas, hindi sinabing lahat. Nung si Kobe Paras at (Ray) Parks naman ang naglaro sa US, hindi naman sinuggest na i-ban ang foreigners dun, ah? Limit lang, hindi ban."
Mark Vinson Arbolado
"With all due respect, Mr. Congresman, I disagree. I believe the right thing to do is to limit and regulate. The competition and quality of play in the NCAA and UAAP improves with these foreign players. And it gives our local players the experience they need at the highest level. We should also not forget that there are also Filipino students playing abroad that are given opportunities. We are also helping these foreign students (mostly Africans) get good education that they can't have in their countries, which is a very good thing. Sports, like education, should be for everyone."
Majority of the comments are centered around the significant improvement of locals after going up against imports, as well as giving foreign student-athletes access to affordable education.
Charles Eithreim
"The Philippine basketball scene will not improve without better competition. To be the best, you have to beat the best."
Ohrvhel Sajol Villaver
"This is just sad. Not only we're banning less-fortunate kids who want to get a decent education for free, we're also limiting our local big men to step up and compete against giants. If we want to get our place sa FIBA, this is where we start!"
Marvin B. Aquino
"In the eyes of the African imports, the Philippines is a land of opportunity where their future can take off. Let's show the world that we are indeed a land of opportunity."
There are also a few who argue that the overreliance on foreigners is just part of the problem, and upgrades have to start within the national governing body for basketball and sports in general.
Jeh Asla
"They need to amend each and every rule book for all collegiate leagues. As per UAAP, rulebook states students enrolled in the school are eligible to play (tapos madaming annexes), while foreign players are allowed unless they serve a one-year residency first or be enrolled for an entire school year. 'Yan pa lang rule na 'yan 'pag tinanggal mo, ang dami pang dadaanang motion, delay, etc. Pero ako, to be honest, payag na no foreign players, para mag-shine 'yung mga local talents habang maaga pa. Minsan kasi na-a-outshine ng foreigners eh."
Modz Modesto
"We don't need foreign players just to improve. What we need is to change our basketball system and develop our shooting capability from point guard up to center position. In this way, we can compete with other Asian countries and even international ones."
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