Palace aborts Douthit citizenship - 'not urgent'

MANILA, Philippines - Congress yesterday failed to approve Marcus Douthit’s application for naturalization, keeping the 6-11 American from reinforcing the national cage team competing in next month’s Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said that Malacañang has declined to certify as urgent the bill approving the naturalization of Douthit, which would have paved the way for the measure’s passage yesterday.

According to Zubiri, the Palace did not want to have as its first certified bill one that pertained to the naturalization application of an athlete.

Zubiri expressed his frustration about the Palace decision, putting to naught the joint effort by both the House of Representatives and the Senate to facilitate the naturalization of Douthit in a bid to strengthen the country’s bid in the quadrennial meet slated Nov. 12-28.

“We passed this for pride and glory. We in the Senate have done our job but they (Malacañang) didn’t want to certify their first bill as one of naturalization,” Zubiri said.

“I would like to share my frustrations with this fact and I hope that this government, will have an honest to goodness sports program and that’s (Douthit’s case) part and parcel of that sports program,” he said.

The Senate on Tuesday passed on second reading Senate Bill No. 2559 or the bill for the naturalization of Douthit a week after the House passed its version of the same bill.

In order to facilitate the passage of the bill in the Senate, the Palace only had to certify the bill as urgent.

Because of the failure of the Senate to pass the measure, the earliest possible date that it would be able to tackle Douthit’s naturalization would be on Nov. 8, which would already be too late for his inclusion in the RP roster for the Asiad.

Presuming that the Senate passes the bill on Nov. 7, it would have to be enrolled for signing of the President and then it must be published in two major dailies before it would become effective.