Jia Morado cites health, safety concerns for skipping nat’l volleyball team tryouts

Volleyball player Jia Morado cited health and safety concern as the reason why she did not attend the tryouts for the national team organized by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF).

In a letter she posted on her Twitter account on Saturday, Morado said she “would have loved to take part in the tryouts scheduled by the PNVF this week in Subic.”

“However, I personally decided to beg off from the tryouts out of an abundance of caution,” she added.

“It is true that health and safety concerns, stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, made me hesitate to take part in the tryout,” Morado said.

Morado, a member of the team that represented the Philippines in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, said they were advised to have 14 days of quarantine before the tryouts, but she received the letter only 11 days before the event, making her feel “unsafe to go for myself and for members of my family who are high risk and live with me at home.”

Just to explain why I didn’t attend the tryouts: pic.twitter.com/KktrMyZYSe

— Julia Morado (@juliacmorado) May 1, 2021

She also cited that they were informed that they would travel to at least two places, which, for her, could be possible infection points.

Morado also said she and her teammates raised their concerns regarding health and safety protocols upon receiving the invitation.

“I deeply respect my teammates who decided to still attend the tryouts, though they may also have the same worries about the pandemic. From my own point of view, however, and after careful discussion with family and doctors of high risk members within my circle, I opted not to take the same risk in the Subic bubble,” Morado shared.

The product of the Ateneo volleyball program, however, emphasized that she was still committed to the national team despite her non-attendance.

A total of 16 players from 40 invitees attended the women’s national team tryouts on Wednesday. – RC, GMA News