ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider NBA'S Clarkson a Filipino citizen, should suit up in national team, House officials insist

NBA'S Clarkson a Filipino citizen, should suit up in national team, House officials insist

Published Feb 4, 2021 03:08 pm

Two senior administration congressmen, both respected legal eagles in the House of Representatives, on Thursday declared that NBA basketball star Jordan Clarkson of Utah Jazz is a Filipino citizen, thus, should be part of the national team competing in world basketball tournaments.

Jordan Clarkson
Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz reacts to a three point basket against San Antonio Spurs during the third quarter at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 07, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images / AFP)

Deputy Speaker and Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and Leyte Rep. Vicente “Ching” Veloso aired this legal opinion following the approval by the Committee on Justice of the panel report recommending the approval of bill proposing to grant Filipino citizenship to Spanish professional footballer Bienvenido “Bienve” Maranon and Ateneo Blue Eagles star player Angelo “Ange” Koume of Ivory.

Reacting to a statement made by Deputy Speaker and Antipolo City Rep. Robbie Puno on issues raised against Clarkson’s inclusion in the national team, Rodriguez said that being the son of a Filipino mother, the NBA star is considered a citizen.

During the committee deliberations, Puno disclosed that countries competing in tournaments sanctioned by the International Basketball Association (FIBA) are limited to just one naturalized player in its 12-man roster.

With Koume, a center, already expected to fill one slot, Clarkson, one of NBA’’s best shooting guard,  may no longer be included in the Philippine team even if granted citizenship by Congress.

“Talaga naman Filipino si Clarkson but they (FIBA) have this rule against countries who are capable of cheating,” explained Puno.

FIBA reportedly bars players from competing in international tournaments if they are holders of a second passport issued after they reach the age of 16.

Rodriguez and Veloso pointed out that Clarkson’s case is different because he is, under Philippine laws, is a Filipino.

“No need for naturalization because he will be considered a Filipino.  We are ready to call the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration to issue him (Clarkson) a certificate of recognition,” said Rodriguez, former dean of the San Sebastian College of Law.

A retired Court of Appeals magistrate, Veloso pointed out that there is no longer any need for further legal action to declare Clarkson a Filipino.  He stressed that the 1986 Constitution considers Clarkson natural born citizen of the Philippines.

Puno, who authored the bill granting Koume citizenship, vowed to attempt to convince the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to exempt Clarkson’s case from the stringent qualification rules imposed by it.

The justice panel asked Puno and Deputy Speaker Eric Martinez of Valenzuela City to pursue Clarkson’s inclusion in the Philippine team. 

ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.