THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) again decided to extend the deadline of application for foreign-bred players hoping to join the 2010 PBA Annual Draft.
The new cut-off date has been set for August 2.
Commissioner Sonny Barrios made the move to give Fil-foreign players more time to process their necessary papers, especially the certificate of recognition coming from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the affirmation from the Department of Justice (DOJ), which went through some re-organization when the new administration took over three weeks ago.
The BI certificate of recognition and DOJ affirmation are just two of several documentary requirements Fil-foreign players must submit to the Commissioner’s Office for them to be eligible for the Draft.
Originally, the deadline was set July 14, but was moved later on to July 19.
“There have been numerous requests for us to again move the deadline. Hopefully, the additional days would help our Fil-foreign applicants secure the papers needed,” said Barrios.
The Rookie Draft, the league’s first official activity at the start of each season, will be held on August 29 at the Market! Market! in Taguig.
With about a month to go before the event, a total of 35 applicants have already submitted their papers at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City.
A handful of the new names are Fil-foreign players, including one who was born in Tripoli, Libya, another in Frankfurt, Germany and a pair from Canada.
Melchor Caysil Gile listed Libya as his place of birth, but suited up for University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP and had stints in both the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and the Asean Basketball League (ABL).
Marvin Gallemit Graebel was born in Germany and attended Stauffenberg Business School, although the 6-foot-4 forward played for both the PBL and Liga Pilipinas.
The PBA Commissioner’s Office, however, considered Gile and Graebel as “locals” because the two are Philippine passport holders and both possess NSO birth certificates.
Raymond Montaniel is from Toronto, Canada, but saw action in Liga Pilipinas, while Vancouver-born Sean Michael Dee Anthony currently plays for Ascof in the Tournament of the Philippines.
But there are likewise notable local players who were added in the list, among them former UST Tigers Khazim Mirza and Chester Taylor, Riego Meinardo Villa Gamalinda, a key player in San Beda’s string of NCAA championships, pesky Robert Labagala of University of the East, his Warrior teammate Narciso Llagas Jr., De La Salle’s Peejay Barua, John Melegrito of Letran and Giorgio Ciriacruz of Arellano.
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