The Philippine Senate passed and approved on third and final reading a bill granting Filipino citizenship to NBA star Andray Blatche will be reinforcing the FIBA-World Cup-bound Gilas Pilipinas. The Philippines will be back in the world stage after three decades of absence.
The Senate approved Committe Report 27 on House Bill 4084 way ahead of the July deadline of the submission of the country’s official line-up to the FIBA World Cup in Spain. The Senate voted 20-0 without abstention.
Because of the passage of the bill, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, thanked Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, sponsor of the bill and author of counterpart Senate Bill 2108, and minority bloc member Sen. Jinggoy Estrada who initially questioned the bill the sincerity of Blatche in applying for Philippine citizenship.
The 27-year-old Andray Blatche already issued an affidavit expressing his sincere desire to play for the Philippines not only in the FIBA World Cup but also in other future international tournaments which the country will participate in the near future.
The Brooklyn Nets center Andray Blatche averages 11.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 steals in some 22 minutes of action for this NBA team this season.
Andray Blatche is one of the few High School players who was drafted to the National Basketball Association, he was drafted during the year 2005 and was chosen 49th overall by the Washington Wizards. Last 2012, the 6-foot-11 inches tall player was released by the Wizards and was signed up by the Brooklyn Nets.
The NBA veteran center is being eyed as alternative to the current naturalized center Marcus Douthit, who is already 33 years old. Marcus Douthit helped the Philippines earned an elusive ticke to the FIBA World Cup after finishing second in the Asian qualifying round of the tournament hosted by Manila in August last year.
The Gilas Pilipinas is bracketed with Group B in FIBA World Cup, together with Argentina (No. 3), Greece (No. 5), Croatia (16th), Puerto Rico (17th), Philippines (34th) and Senegal (41st) in terms of FIBA world rankings.