MANILA, July 31, 2000 -- The Department of Justice (DOJ)
has denied the motion for reconsideration filed by Tanduay Rhum
superstar Eric Menk and five other Filipino-American cagers of
the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Aside from Menk, teammate Rudy Hatfield was also denied together
with San Miguel Beer's Robert Christian Duat, James Arthur
Wallvist of Alaska, Rob Wainwright of Sta. Lucia and Shell's
Christopher John Jackson.
Only Sunkist Orange guard Jon Ordonio was given the nod by the
DOJ.
This developed as the PBA self-imposed deadline for
Fil-American players to submit their DOJ clearances lapsed July
30.
PBA Commissioner Jun Bernardino warned that if a player failed
to do so, the league would slap the team P500,000 fine for every
game where he saw action.
The biggest casualty of this ruling is Tanduay Rhum, which will
pay P7 million for the number of games played by Menk and
Hatfield.
Menk and Hatfield saw action seven times each in the
Commissioner's Cup before they were sidelined by coach Alfrancis
Chua in the Rhum Masters' 70-86 loss to Red Bull.
In disapproving Wallkvist's petition, the DOJ ruled that the
petitioner failed to satisfactorily establish the Philippine
citizenship of his mother, Estrelita Pangan.
The copy of Estrelita's Registry of Birth issued by the Local
Civil Registrar of Arayat, Pampanga is an unverified photocopy
and inadmissible as evidence.
The DOJ ruled the same on the application of Jackson, who also
failed to present authenticated record of his mother's birth
record.
On Menk's case, Justice Secretary Artemio Tuquero said Menk
failed to submit authenticated documents that will prove his
Filipino lineage.
Aside from his failure to submit his mother's birth
certificate, there is also a discrepancy between the place of
her mother's birth and the non-availability of her birth record.
Tuquero said Ordonio, who was sidelined at the start of the
conference, submitted additional documents aside from his
original records that established that his mother was a Filipino
at the time of his birth.
Ordonio was born in Salinas, California on March 21, 1976 to
Corazon Ordonio. (SNS)
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