INTER-AGENCY Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Acting Spokesman Harry Roque Jr. announced to announced to the media on Monday that, based on IATF-EID Resolution No. 68 s. 2020, collegiate leagues such as the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) may now train in areas with eased quarantine status.
“Inaprubahan po ng [IATF-EID] na sa mga lugar na nasa ilalim ng general community quarantine at modified general community quarantine ay pinapayagan na po ang training ng mga student athletes ng collegiate athletic associations (The IATF-EID has approved the training of student athletes from collegiate athletic associations in areas under general community quarantine and modified general community quarantine),” he said.
“This is subject in the guidelines na ilalabas ng (to be released by the) Commission on Higher Education (CHED),” he qualified.
In a separate online press conference held together with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) and the Department of Health (DoH), CHED Chairman Prospero “Popoy” de Vera 3rd said a technical working group, composed of representatives from CHED, PSC, DoH, UAAP, NCAA and other collegiate leagues, has yet to finalize the guidelines within three weeks.
In the same press conference, the chairman announced that CHED will request National University (NU) and University of Sto. Tomas (UST) to give formal explanations of why the schools should not be sanctioned for failure to comply with the Education commission’s March directive to send all students home to their respective cities and provinces.
“We will be issuing show-cause orders to NU and UST, [requiring formal responses] explaining why sanctions shouldn’t be imposed on its officers, teaching and nonteaching personnel for [the schools’] failure to comply with the guidelines of CHED,” said de Vera.
The NU women’s volleyball team was stranded in Inspire Sports Academy, the Laguna campus of NU, as well as in the Sampaloc campus at various stages of the lockdown while UST Growling Tigers, led by former head coach Aldin Ayo, conducted unauthorized training in the “Sorsogon bubble” or sanitized and secluded zone in Bicol since June.
The joint report on the alleged protocol violation of UST was submitted by CHED, PSC, DoH and GAB on Monday to the Department of Justice, which will determine what penalties to impose and upon whom.
