Senator Franklin Drilon (Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN)
Drilon, a former Justice Secretary, gave the advise a week before the Senate approved today on second reading two bills naturalizing Kakou Ange Franck Williams Kouame, a 6’11’’ basketball player, of Ivory Coast, and Bienverido Morejon Maranon, a football star, of Cadiz, Spain.
‘’We must guard against Blatches,’’ Drilon said referring to Andray Blatche, an African-American who joined the country’s national basketball team after his naturalization via congressional action in June, 2014.
There should be a national direction on the naturalization issue, he added.
In last week’s plenary session, Senator Richard J. Gordon, chairman of the Senate justice and human rights committee, told Drilon that Blatche ‘’nawala’’ (no longer around) after a citation of some foreigners so far naturalized by Congress.