In three weeks or less, student-athletes can go back to training. Commission on Higher Education chairman Prospero de Vera III said this moments after Malacanang announced that varsity players from different disciplines can resume training in general community quarantine and modified general community quarantine areas.
“Pinakamatagal na ang tatlong linggo, based on our experience in crafting guidelines with the universities. Kasi, iyung process na ginagawa ng CHED, we involved the universities in crafting the guidelines,” said De Vera.
De Vera discussed their plans for collegiate athletes during a web conference with members of the tripartite body known as the Joint Administrative Order Group.
Also present were Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez, National Training Director Marc Velasco, Games and Amusement Board chairman Abraham Mitra and Department of Health undersecretary Rosette Vergeire.
A Technical Working Group has been formed after De Vera had a meeting with University of the Philippines College of Human Kinetics Dean Francis Diaz and Chooks-to-Go 3×3 tournament director Eric Altamirano.
With Diaz’s involvement, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines would most likely be in the picture in shaping the TWG’s recommendations since he is part of the UAAP Board of Managing Directors.
The formation of the TWG comes after the JAO group wrapped up its inquiry in the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers men’s basketball team and the National University women’s volleyball squad for health and safety protocol violations.
The JAO group brought its findings to the Department of Justice and the Department of Interior and Local Government also yesterday.
The panel believes that violations may have been committed when the Growling Tigers did team workouts in Sorsogon, while lockdown protocols were still in place.
The Lady Bulldogs were also in a similar situation after several athletes were stranded in the school’s Calamba, Laguna campus when lockdowns began last March.
De Vera said it will now be up to the DOJ to issue an order to the UST and NU camps to initiate a thorough investigation and implement possible sanctions.
“The order will demand that they explain why sanctions will not be imposed on officials, teaching and non-teaching personnel for failure to comply with with guidelines,” said De Vera.
Under a Sept. 3 resolution of the government’s Interagency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases, those who can resume their “preparatory training” are student-athletes of collegiate athletic associations as defined under the Student-Athletes Protection Act.
Because of this, De Vera said there will be adjustments in those who can participate.
This will allow a young batch of students age below 21 years old to join the workouts.
A shift in the JAO group’s discussion took place last week after they found out about the ages of the athletes from UST, who went to Sorsogon to train. They learned that 11 of the 17 players, who allegedly participated were below 21 years old.