Gilas Pilipinas cadet Troy Rike arrested on visa issues but fans vent anger at Chinese working illegally in Philippines
The 22-year-old says he was detained overnight by immigration officials, who were tipped off by someone saying the player was in the Philippines illegally
Mystery surrounds the arrest and overnight detention in Manila of American-Filipino basketball player Troy Rike – apparently because of immigration issues – with some angry fans saying authorities should instead focus on the growing number of Chinese nationals working illegally in the Philippines.
The 22-year-old Rike was born in San Francisco to an American father and a Filipino mother. In early September he was cleared to play for National University Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 81 men’s tournament after proving that he had a Filipino mother.
However, the six-foot-seven (2.0m) player revealed on Friday that he was arrested by Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers on Wednesday, questioned about his nationality, kept overnight and forced to sleep on the floor – apparently after a tip-off from someone that he was in the Philippines illegally.
A Gilas Pilipinas cadet who is seen as a future star after a stint with Wake Forest University in the United States’s NCAA Division I league, he was quoted as saying: “It was tough, I’m not gonna lie. I was a bit emotional. I’ve never been arrested before.
“The argument was I entered with an American passport, which I did, and then, I’m studying. [They said] ‘He’s an American, how could he study if he didn’t get approval?’” he said, although an earlier UAAP approval allows him to pursue post-graduate studies in the Philippines for one year.
Rike is a hero in the Philippines after he protected Australia’s Chris Goulding from fans during a brawl at July’s Fiba World Cup qualifier, resulting in the suspension of most of the team.
Filipino basketball fans took to social media to express their horror at Rike’s arrest, with most of their anger directed at the immigration department and the government.
But a handful said the BI should focus more on tackling the issue of the growing number of Chinese nationals working illegally in the Philippines rather than arresting genuine athletes.