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| Bennie Boatwright's camp is just waiting for the Congressional Committee on Justice to begin his naturalization process. Dennis Acosta (file photo) |
MANILA--The road to naturalization begins for former San Miguel import Bennie Boatwright as a bill for him to acquire Filipino citizenship has already been filed.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Erika Dy said on Tuesday that just as the current Congress began its sessions last July, a bill was already authored regarding it.
"It has already been filed in this Congress when it opened, and we're just waiting for the Committee on Justice to formally ask for the first reading. So scheduling process na lang siya, but you know, the Congress has a lot of other things to take care of bago tayo dumating dyan. So we're trying to be as patient as we can about it, understanding that there are other national concerns that come ahead of this," Dy said during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the PSC Conference Room inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
Boatwright impressed a lot during his stint with the Beermen during the 2024 PBA Commissioner's Cup, where he led them to the championship.
This led to Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone considering adding him to a future national team pool once he gets his naturalization approved.
The Senate made its first move last year when former senator Sonny Angara, now the secretary of education, filed Senate Bill 2646, but the process was stalled after Boatwright suffered an Achilles injury.
The 6-foot-10 power forward has since returned to play and recently signed a contract to see action for the Taipei Fubon Braves in the upcoming P. League+ and EASL seasons.
Meanwhile, Dy revealed that the naturalization process of former University of the Philippines player Favour Onoh was stalled after she accepted an offer to play in the US NCAA.
