By Jerome Aning, Cedelf P. Tupas
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Former basketball star Rudy Distrito arrived in Manila Wednesday, shortly after United States authorities ordered his deportation when he was granted parole following his conviction for murder.
Distrito, who was known as “The Destroyer†during his 15 years of playing for the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), flew in from Los Angeles on board a Philippine Airlines flight. He arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 at around 6 a.m.
Escorted by US marshals, he and three other deportees were turned over to Bureau of Immigration officials for deportation proceedings.
In an interview with reporters, Distrito, 51, expressed gratitude to the people who helped and supported him during his incarceration, including former Sen. Robert Jaworski, his former coach and teammate, who visited him when he was imprisoned in Nevada.
He also thanked another former PBA player, Abe King, chair of the PBA Legends USA Foundation, for helping him during his parole hearings.
According to him, his faith in God was strengthened during his imprisonment which he described as a “humbling experience.â€
“Let’s not be too rash in making decisions so you won’t experience what happened to me. I will regret for my whole life something that happened in just a few seconds,†Distrito said, referring to his conviction for the murder of Juan Amaya, a 24-year-old Mexican.
Distrito stabbed the victim to death during an argument in their neighborhood in Las Vegas on Nov. 24, 2004. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in March 2005 but was found guilty and sentenced to serve four to 12 years in prison.
He was recently granted parole for good behavior.
Distrito said he would go home to Bacolod City after resting for a week at an undisclosed hotel in Manila.
He added that his future plans included returning to the hard court but this time, as a coach.
Early last year, he sent a letter to his family in which he promised to be home in time for Christmas.
And although he overshot his target by a few weeks, his homecoming brought a lot of joy to his family and friends.
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