SAFETY remains as the biggest priority for the NCAA as it inches closer to the opening of its 96th season on June 13.
"Ini-squeeze namin lahat ng pwedeng mangyari, but we have to abide by the rules given by the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases) and ng CHED (Commission on Higher Education)," said NCAA Management Committee (Mancom) chairman Fr. Vic Calvo, OP of host Letran.
"Karamihan pa rin kasi dito are minors so we have to take extra caution for the sake of student-athletes and the fans," he added.
It's a tough challenge to hurdle for the oldest collegiate league in the country, but Calvo said the NCAA is determined to push through if only to inspire resilience amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
All 10 member schools are on board.
"It was a collective decision on the part of the NCAA Mancom. Mahirap kasi hindi normal ang sitaution and all of us were adjusting, but we decided to push through," said Calvo, who expressed his gratitude to new broadcast partner GMA for wading through these tough times.
"NCAA would like to show our creativity and the resiliency of Filipinos especially during the pandemic. We don't want to easily give up, yun ang gusto naming sabihin. It's a new normal. Dati abnormal ito, but ngayon we have to adjust to something new, adjust to the situation, and make the most out of it."
The NCAA is set to hold online and hybrid events for this extraordinary season, staging virtual skills-based events in basketball, volleyball, chess, and taekwondo.
For Calvo, it's exactly the legacy host Letran would like to leave.
"Sa Letran, yung culture namin palaging sinasabi na never give up, never give in," he said. "That's the attitude and we'd like to share that culture and attitude sa NCAA and sa entire sports sa Philippines. We're down but we're not too down. We should do our best to show the spirit of resiliency na kaya natin."
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