THE Joint Administrative Order (JAO) group on Monday neither confirmed nor denied that University of Santo Tomas (UST), the Growling Tigers and resigned Head Coach Aldin Ayo violated health protocols by conducting a training bubble in Sorsogon City for three months starting in June.
Instead, the JAO group left all decisions to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the issue that left a UST men’s basketball team in tatters with the resignation of its coaches and almost half of the players and a school that faces potential charges for breach of protocols.
“It’s too early to conclude because we have just finished the fact-finding stage. It’s now up to the DOJ to dig deeper,” Prospero de Vera III, chairman of the Commission on Higher Education, told a cast-heavy online press conferences that included top officials of the Philippine Sports Commission, CHED, Department of Health and Games and Amusements Board (GAB).
Not even GAB Chairman Abraham Mitra opted to divulge the contents of UST’s own fact-finding body as well as the JAO group’s report that were submitted also on Monday to the IATF and DOJ.
All indications—from Ayo’s resignation and those of the players—and former Tigers’ skipper CJ Cansino being dropped from the team because of defiance to his coach—however, show probable violations of health and safety protocols.
Asked if local government units from Manila on the way to Sorsogon City could be liable, de Vera said “the DILG [Department of the Interior and Local Government and the DOH have the proper jurisdiction.”
Travel restrictions remain in place amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the government specifically bars individuals younger than 21 and older than 60 to leave their homes.
In the Tigers’ case, most players are 20 or under and questions arose how Ayo was able to provide passage to the team which had to traverse five provinces through two two regions all of which have very strict protocols.
“We must see if there are also violations on local government ordinances in the areas where they allegedly held the bubble. That’s where the DILG comes in,” de Vera said.
De Vera, meanwhile, said college athletes should wait some more before they could actually return to training.
He said the CHED created a technical working group that will formulate guidelines for the resumption of workout sessions for student-athletes.
“We will be crafting the guidelines. It may take two to three weeks,” de Vera said in the same press conference.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced on Monday that college athletes would be allowed to conduct training sessions in areas under the general community quarantine and modified general community quarantine provided CHED completes the protocols.
“We will start with small groups, small number of participants,” de Vera said. “There are different sports within a league, so we will look into the specific concerns per sport disciplines.”
De Vera said the CHED is looking at easing the 20-year-old rule for student athletes.
“We will give exemptions,” he said said.
The CHED is working with the PSC and GAB in formulating the return-to-training policies for student athletes, while seeking assistance from professional leagues, including the Philippine Basketball Association, Chooks-to-Go 3×3 Pilipinas and Philippine Football League.
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