The hiring of National men’s basketball team head coach Tab Baldwin has caused a firestorm as, based on reports, the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines is attempting to block the appointment.
Early Monday afternoon, Tab Baldwin was officially announced by the 156-year-old institution as the head coach of the school’s men’s basketball team. However, Baldwin, a resident of New Zealand, is considered as a foreigner working in the Philippines.
Under Article 40 of the Labor Code of the Philippines:
Art. 40. Employment permit of non-resident aliens.
Any alien seeking admission to the Philippines for employment purposes and any domestic or foreign employer who desires to engage an alien for employment in the Philippines shall obtain an employment permit from the Department of Labor.
The employment permit may be issued to a non-resident alien or to the applicant employer after a determination of the non-availability of a person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing at the time of application to perform the services for which the alien is desired.
For an enterprise registered in preferred areas of investments, said employment permit may be issued upon recommendation of the government agency charged with the supervision of said registered enterprise.
According to our source, the 57-year-old head coach has already secured a working visa from the Department of Labor and Employment. That permit is the only authorization needed to be able to coach in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines. It is also the reason why the following are allowed to coach in the league, just to name a few:
Kim Chool Soo (Korean), Far Eastern University Tamaraws Football Team head coach
Hans-Peter Van Sprew Smit (Indonesian – in the process of Naturalization), De La Salle University Green Archers Football program director
Anusorn Bundit (Thai), Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles Volleyball team head coach
However, basketball is a different animal. The Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines is contesting the appointment of Baldwin since there are many similarly-capable local coaches that can man the position.
In a short message by Ateneo Blue Eagles team manager Epok Quimpo said that whatever happens “Ateneo will follow and adhere to the rules and guidelines under the law.”
Baldwin knows and understands where the local basketball coaches are coming from saying, “It’s important to me that I don’t try to undermine the local coaching fraternity,” the head coach of the New Zealand men’s basketball team that qualified in the 2004 Olympic Games said. “But I try to help it out and augment it with the experiences I have. So, in the basis of that, while I’m sympathetic to what they are saying, I think that the spirit of what I’m trying to do counteracts with that. Hopefully, we all agree to that and there won’t be any issues.”
