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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Boatwright naturalization stalled due to absence of Senate majority bloc

Boatwright naturalization stalled due to absence of Senate majority bloc

Published Jun 1, 2026 08:38 pm

At A Glance

  • The naturalization process of Gilas Pilipinas candidate Bennie Boatwright has been stalled after being caught in the whirlwind of events at the Senate on Monday, June 1.

The naturalization process of Gilas Pilipinas candidate Bennie Boatwright has been stalled after being caught in the whirlwind of events at the Senate on Monday, June 1.

The plenary approval of Senate Bill No. 1595, which seeks to grant the 6-foot-10 center a Filipino citizenship, was part of the agenda for the day but it did not push through due to the lack of quorum at the Senate. 

As of 6 p.m., senators on the majority bloc were absent in the plenary session scheduled at 5 p.m. This came in the wake of the arrest of Senator Jinggoy Estrada earlier in the day.

In a video recorded by Manila Bulletin’s Joseph Pedrajas,  Senator Kiko Pangilinan, the former chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, was seen talking to Boatwright as well as Fil-American wrestler Matthew James Ramos to apologize for the delay.

Boatwright is being eyed to join the national team’s campaign in the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan where it is set to defend the gold medal it won in the last edition in Hangzhou, China.

Should Boatwright become an official Filipino, he would make a perfect pair with Gilas’ current naturalized player in Justin Brownlee.

Boatwright’s bid to become a Filipino is on its last few steps as the approval would mean the bill can be transmitted to the Office of the President for the signing into a law. However, it’s still unclear when the plenary approval of their naturalization will be rescheduled.

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Bennie Boatwright Senate Senate majority
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