Barangay Ginebra San Miguel's resident import Justin Donta Brownlee on Monday, January 16 took his oath of allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines after the recent enactment of Republic Act No. 11937 or the law that granted him Filipino citizenship.
Sen. Francis N. Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and sponsor of the law, facilitated Browlnee’s oath taking in a simple ceremony that took place at the Senate.
Following this oath, Brownlee would be tasked to secure a certificate of naturalization from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in order to fully enjoy his rights as a Filipino citizen.
As a naturalized Filipino citizen, Brownlee would now be eligible to join Gilas Pilipinas, the country’s national basketball team, and begin the process of qualifying for international events under the nation’s banner, particularly in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup Asian Qualifiers in February at the Philippine Arena.
The three-time “PBA Best Import” awardee is also expected to join the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia this coming May.
“To say that Mr. Brownlee is an exceptional basketball player is an understatement. He will surely reinforce the Gilas team in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers next year,” Tolentino said.
Brownlee will be joining Jordan Clarkson and Ange Kouame in the Gilas Pilipinas “pool” of naturalized players.