B U S T E D : BI orders Asi deported, rules mom no Pinay

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday began its crackdown on foreign players posing as Filipino or have alleged Filipino roots as it ordered the deportation of Mobiline's Paul Asi Taulava for his alleged failure to prove his Philippine citizenship.

In a two-page decision, the three-man BI board of commissioners said it found no credible proof to substantiate Taulava's claim that he is a Filipino and strongly ordered him to be blacklisted from the immigration list.

Debunking Taulava's mother Pauline Hernandez Mateaki's testimony that she is a Filipina or has Filipino roots, the BI charged Taulava with violation of the conditions or limitations under which he was admitted as a non-immigrant under the immigration laws and ordered him deported.

The decision drew varied reactions from the cross-section of this basketball-crazy nation which followed the case with great interest since Sen. Robert Barbers asked for an inquiry on the nature and manner by which these foreign cagers were able to play here.

"I was shocked (by the decision). We thought the coming of Asi's mother would clinch it," said Mobiline coach Eric Altamirano, referring to Pauline Taulava, who testified before the board last week regarding her alleged Filipino lineage.

Altamirano said Taulava had no inkling of the (negative) decision and was even in high spirit when he showed up for the team's practice at the Reyes gym yesterday.

"In fact, he was confident that everything would be okay," added Altamirano.

But the board said Ms. Taulava failed to prove that she and Pauline Hernandez Mateaki who was named in the certificate of live birth she submitted are one and the same person.

The board noted that the said birth certificate showing that Ms. Taulava was born in San Jose, Northern Samar, which was registered only on March 20, 1998, and the information on her Tongan passport that she was born in Vaot'u, Tonga, cast doubt on her claim that she has Filipino lineage.

"If indeed what she claims in her certificate of live birth is true, she could have corrected the entries in the original passport that she claims to have been procured by her stepfather in the second passport that she now holds," the board said.

However, BI acting commissioner Alan Roullo Yap said Taulava still has seven days to file a motion for reconsideration and appeal his deportation order although he stressed that the embattled cager would need to present more compelling evidence to support his claim (to Philippine citizenship).

But with his mother's testimony debunked, there seems to be no other compelling evidence that Taulava could present at this stage.

"We will always respect the (BI) decision and will maintain our long-time rule of not allowing Fil-foreign players to play without a Certificate of Recognition from the BI," said PBA commissioner Jun Bernardino in a statement released to the media yesterday.

He added: "The Office of the Commissioner has, as a self-impose rule, allowed Fil-Ams, or Fil-foreign players, to play in the PBA on the basis of Certificates of Recognition issued by the BI. These players were allowed to play upon submission of these documents and were recognized as locals because of the CR."

"But it's not over yet. They're meeting this afternoon (yesterday) with Mobiline lawyers and CEO Manny Pangilinan to discuss the next steps," said Altamirano, adding that Taulava will keep on practicing with the team until after the final decision is made.

To validate its decision, the board said that Sergio Midoranda Jr., the alleged guardian of Taulava's mother who registered the said birth certificate, was never introduced to the board during a hearing and that Ms. Taulava, when queried about her roots, never mentioned his name.

The board also took note of the physical appearance of Taulava's mother, saying that "except for her color, Ms. Taulava's size and physique are unusual for a Filipino woman."

It added that Ms. Taulava, during the hearing, "could not speak any word of any Filipino dialect, particularly Visayan or Waray, or remember anything uniquely Filipino. She could not also show any picture of her Filipino parents."

The board also noticed that not a single relative of Taulava came forward to claim relationship with him to strengthen his claim to Philippine citizenship.

"If, indeed, Pauline was born in San Jose, Northern Samar, there could still be living relatives there as she is only 49 years of age," it said, adding that it was apparent that despite the length of his stay in the country, Taulava never bothered to trace his mother's alleged Filipino roots. -