UAAP to look into NU's alleged training amid quarantine

The University Athletic Association of the Philippines will look into reports of National University athletes allegedly training despite government restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The development came after officials from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Games and Amusement Board (GAB), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Health (DOH), and the UAAP met on Wednesday to discuss the alleged violation of protocols by the University of Santo Tomas men's basketball team.

According to a press release, the UAAP is "requested to seek clarification" from NU regarding the alleged training of its volleyball players amid the community quarantine.

“Safety of our students is the topmost concern,” CHED chairman Prospero De Vera III De Vera said in a statement.

CHED said it has issued advisories urging students to stay at home, consistent with the guidelines issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging and Infectious Disease (IATF) and the tripartite-issued Joint Administrative Order.

UST, meanwhile, is still finalizing its probe on the alleged "Sorsogon bubble" of its men's basketball team.

Earlier, UST student publication The Varsitarian reported the resignation of the school's athletic director amid the ongoing investigation.

Former team captain CJ Cansino has revealed snippets of what happened in the said training bubble in a series of now-deleted screenshots of a group chat between the players and their parents.

The UAAP said it expects to receive the final report of UST's probe on the alleged training camp before their meeting on Friday.

GAB chair Baham Mitra said the body will convene again on September 1. The PSC expects representatives from the UST and NU to join the meeting to resolve the matter. —MGP, GMA News