JERIE Pingoy may finally be able to play for Ateneo in the coming UAAP season following his controversial transfer from Far Eastern University high school.
According to sources, Pingoy’s high school FEU has softened its stance on its former star and is ready to grant the two-time juniors MVP a release that will allow him to play for Ateneo as early as the coming season.
A release from FEU would put a happy ending to one of the most contentious transfers in league history, one that led to a controversy over a new elibility rules that reached the halls of the Senate.
When asked about the possibility of Pingoy getting a release from FEU, a UAAP official who refused to be named curtly told Spin.ph: “It looks like it.”
Another source told Spin.ph that a statement will be issued once Pingoy's release becomes official.
Following Pingoy's transfer from FEU-Diliman to Ateneo in 2013, major changes were made by the UAAP to its residency rules, with high school graduates transferring to another UAAP member school being required to undergo a two-year residency before beng able to play for his new college.
The previous residency requirement was one year.
The residency requirement, however, will only be waived if the athlete is able to obtain a release from his previous school.
In Pingoy's case, he failed to get his release from FEU last season and has since served a year of residency.
The UAAP, however, has come under fire since the controversial new residency rules took effect, with Senator Pia Cayetano leading the opposition to what she termed as an unjust rule.
Cayetano had also supported a move by another athlete affected by the rule, swimmer Anna Bartolome, to take the UAAP to the courts after she failed to get a release from University of Santo Tomas following a move to University of the Philippines.
Sources have told Spin.ph that there is a prevailing sentiment among the presidents of the UAAP member schools to ditch the residency rule.
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