Bill shooting down UAAP's residency rule passes, awaits PNoy's signature

The UAAP will be forced to drop its two-year residency rule for high school graduates transferring to a different member university, following Congress' approval of Senator Pia Cayetano's bill protecting the rights of student-athletes. 

 

Under the Student-Athletes Protection bill, student athletic associations will not be able to impose residency requirements on high school graduates enrolling in another college or university. 

 

To address the issue of schools pirating athletes, the bill provides that an athletic association may impose a maximum of one-year residency on a high school student-athlete who transfers from one member school to another.  For student-athletes in the collegiate level, the association may impose a maximum of one-year residency before they could participate and represent their school or university in any athletic competition. 

 

"The unjust practice of residency rules for high school students going to a different college will be a thing of the past,” Cayetano, who used to play for the volleyball varsity team of the University of the Philippines, said. 

 

"When interest groups within these associations refuse to act and address the concerns of student-athletes, then the government needs to step in to regulate their actions to ensure that the rights of the vulnerable are protected,” she added. 

 

In April 2013, the UAAP board voted in favor of a two-year residency rule, also referred to as the "Jerie Pingoy rule" after FEU-FERN high school basketball standout's move to transfer to Ateneo de Manila University for college, for fresh high school graduates who choose to move to another member school for college.

 

Under the bill, schools may also grant deserving student-athletes benefits and incentives, in the form of tuition and miscellaneous school fees, full board and lodging, school and athletic uniforms, and a “reasonable” regular monthly living allowance. 

 

Schools may also provide for free medical examinations and consultations, emergency medical services, as well as life and medical insurance.

 

“We must keep in mind the amateur status of varsity players. Luring them with excessive incentives goes against the amateur nature of school sports and amounts to commercialization of the athlete,” the senator said. 

 

Erring schools may be meted a penalty of P100,000 to P1 million, and may be suspended from participating in the athletic organization. 

 

Athletic associations who will refuse to follow the proposed law may also be punishable with a fine ranging from P100,000 to P1 million.

 

"Who doesn't love college sports and seeing their team win? We all do. But let's not forget that these athletes are first and foremost, students. Thus, their rights as a student and an amateur athlete must be protected and respected,” Cayetano said. — Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez/JST/ELR, GMA News