Taulava’s return
remains uncertain

TALK ‘N CARE. Asi Taulava (l.) visits his
number 1 fan, Jay-R Mingao.

PASAY CITY — Talk ‘N Text’s controversial slotman Asi Taulava’s possible comeback stint remains uncertain as Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner Noli Eala said he will still study the recent Court of Appeals ruling before making a final decision.

Eala said the facts will be reviewed carefully this week when he meets with his battery of lawyers.

He said, the Phone Pals already submitted a copy of the Court of Appeals ruling, which basically dismissed the Department of Justice’s appeal of the Manila Regional Trial court decision that barred the DoJ and the Bureau of Immigration from deporting Taulava.

“The way I look at it, mukhang iba yung napag-desisyunan ng Court of Appeals compared to the one that the DoJ handed out months ago. Base sa ruling, the court says sila lang ang makakapag-sabing Filipino ang isang player,” Eala told the Manila Bulletin.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, early this year, declared that Taulava is not a Filipino citizen and has no right to play in the PBA.

And Eala said the PBA board of governors based their resolution on the DoJ’s decision.

“As of the moment, we are still basing our decision on the board resolution that says players with questionable citizenship should be suspended indefinitely,” Eala explained.

But the PBA commissioner said he is not closing the door entirely on Taulava, who played for the PBA-bannered R.P. squad that finished fourth in the 2002 Busan Asian Games.

“If after carefully reviewing the CA ruling we find out that Asi is indeed a Filipino, we’ll let him play,” he said.

Last June 7, the CA ruled that “Taulava’s natural-born citizenship was already recognized by the BI’s Board of Commissioners, which enjoys the presumption of regularity in the performance of their duties.”

Anyone who questions his citizenship has the burden of proving his allegations. This can only be done by filing an appropriate action in a court of competent jurisdiction because, in our jurisdiction, an attack on a person’s citizenship may only be done through direct action for its nullity,” the CA added.

CA’s ruling

On the other hand, Taulava’s legal counsel Eduardo Francisco stressed that the PBA should simply abide by the CA’s ruling.