With 247 votes, Justin Brownlee’s naturalization process has passed the House of Congress and is much closer to getting his Philippine citizenship
Justin Brownlee’s naturalization process has passed the House of Representatives, which approved it on third and final reading on November 29, granting Philippine citizenship to the Barangay Ginebra resident import.
Garnering 274 affirmative votes, one abstention, and zero negative vote, the chamber passed House Bill 6224 to allow Brownlee as a naturalized player of Gilas Pilipinas to represent the country in upcoming international competitions as reported by the Philippine News Agency.
In his speech, Martin Romualdez, speaker and author of the measure, cited the House’s "humble contribution to assist the national basketball team's quest for glory in the FIBA World Cup.”
"Anything is possible if you put your heart or ‘puso’ into it. Speaking of puso, we commend Justin for his desire in joining Gilas Pilipinas in this path, to represent the Philippines, which is his home in this corner of the world," Romualdez said.
According to CNN, once his naturalization is approved by both houses of Congress, it will then make its way to the Office of the President for signing into law.
“Justin Donta Brownlee is hereby granted Philippine citizenship with all rights, privileges and prerogatives, as well as the duties and obligations appurtenant thereto, under the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of the Philippines,” read HB No. 6224 as reported by the Business Mirror.
The bill also states that Brownlee will take the Oath of Allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines before an officer duly authorized and shall be registered with the Bureau of Immigration, and will be issued with his Certificate of Naturalization, before totally entering Philippine citizenship.
“Been waiting for this for a while but worth the wait,” wrote the 33-year-old in a lengthy Instagram post thanking the Congress, the SBP and the higher ups of the San Miguel Corporation.
Brownlee is expected to suit up for the country in the February window of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers as they go up against Lebanon and Jordan.
Tags: #Gilas Pilipinas, #import, #naturalization