Cayetano says new UAAP rule ‘unconstitutional’

MANILA, Philippines (1st UPDATE) — Senator Pia Cayetano blasted the new UAAP residency rule, saying that the new rule that drew uproar from netizens this week “goes against the Consititutional mandate to promote sports” while also curtailing the athlete’s “freedom of choice.”

In an open letter to the UAAP Board posted on her blog mydailyrace.com, Cayetano said that any residency rule for high school students deny athletes of their rights to develop their full potential.

“It goes against the Constitutional mandate to promote sports especially among our youth and is an unreasonable limit on an athlete’s freedom of choice as well as academic freedom to choose which college to enter into,” the senator, who was a UAAP volleyball player in her collegiate days, posted.

Constitutional provision

Cayetano quoted Section 19, Article 14 of the 1987 Constituion that states “(1) The State shall promote physical education and encourage sports programs, league competitions, and amateur sports, including training for international competitions, to foster self-discipline, teamwork, and excellence for the development of a healthy and alert citizenry.” 

The senator, who now dabbles in triathlon, then asked: “Will the new rule help achieve this?”

“Athletes thrive on competition. That’s what gets us going. That’s what all the hard training is about,” Cayetano added. “To make an athlete sit out two seasons? That just kills the dream.”

Unwelcome change

Last Tuesday, the board of the UAAP, unarguably the country’s most popular collegiate league right now, approved recommendations by its Amendments Committee to increase the residency of high school players transferring from one UAAP school to another for college to two years.

The new rule directly affects heavily-recruited Far Eastern University guard Jerie Pingoy, who has hinted that he will be playing for five-time defending champion Ateneo de Manila University after graduating from high school. With the modification, Pingoy will now be able to suit up for the Blue Eagles in 2015.

The change did not sit well with a lot of fans, with the hashtag #NewUAAPRule trending across the Philippines Tuesday night as fans and even players themselves voiced their concern about the controversial ruling. 

‘Unjust punishment’

In her letter, Cayetano cited the situation in the United States, where transferring college athletes are required to serve a one-year residency to “help the athlete acclimatize to the new school and adjust academics-wise.”

She pointed out, though, that high school students are not forced to undergo any residency period when they choose to go to a different college.

“I am against any kind of residency rule for graduating high school students,” Cayetano said. “For an athlete, this 2 year residency rule is cruel and unjust punishment.” – Rappler.com