MANILA, Philippines – Naturalization for the next Philippine Men’s National Basketball Team Gilas Pilipinas Center Angelo Kouame is almost complete. This is after Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights approved Senate Bill 1892 and 2058 seeking his Philippine Citizenship.
According to the Bureau of Immigration FAQs, Naturalization or Filipino by Naturalization is the judicial act of adopting a foreigner and clothing him with the privileges of a native-born citizen. It implies the renunciation of a former nationality and the fact of entrance into a similar relation towards a new body politic (2Am.Jur.561,par.188).
Following the provisions stated on Republic Act No. 9139 also known as “The Administrative Nationalization Law of 2000,” Angelo Kouame applied for Philippine Citizenship and is now waiting for the second reading by the Philippine Senate.
In a panel hearing, Senator Sonny Angara who authored Senate Bill 1892 said: “He’s (Angelo Kouame) one fo the most exciting players in Ateneo, and Ateneo is really unbeatable with him there in the middle. So he would be a wonderful addition to our Philippine National Team.”
As the national team is being formed, Kouame is poised to replace Andray Blatche as Gilas Pilipinas’ reinforcement in major tournaments including the FIBA Asia Cup and the 2023 FIBA World Cup where Philippines is the host country.
Additional Report: Olmin Leyba, The Philippine Star
Photo Courtesy: The Guidon, Philippine News Agency, FIBA
