THE UAAP board has welcomed the Senate inquiry into the league’s controversial new residency rules among high school transferees.
Henry Atayde, La Salle’s representative to the UAAP board, said member schools are ready to face the Committee on Youth, Women, and Family Relations headed by Senator Pia Cayetano.
“We welcome it and we are ready,” said Atayde, also a member of the amendments committee that recommended the rules change.
The Senate inquiry was originally set last Thursday, but was rescheduled on April 1 due to the unavailability of the members of the UAAP board.
Atayde, however, clarified that the league didn’t boycott the Senate hearing.
“Everybody is saying na binoycott namin. Hindi namin binoycott,” Atayde explained.
“Pinadalhan kami ng sulat ng Tuesday pero nagme-meeting pa kami ng Wednesday for the (UAAP) closing ceremonies. We told the Senate that we are going to go but not on Thursday,” Atayde added.
One of the recommendations of the committee is an increase in the residency period for high school transferees from one to two years, a move that had already been approved in principle by the UAAP board.
The rule, initiated following the controversial tug-of-war between Far Eastern University and Ateneo for two-time juniors basketball MVP Jerie Pingoy, has been met by criticism from fans and athletes alike.
Cayetano, a former varsity volleyball player of the University of the Philippines, has even started an online petition against the new rule.
Atayde said the UAAP board is looking forward to explain the implementing rules and guidelines of the new residency rules, details of which, according to him, have not been discussed in public yet.
He hinted the implementing guidelines will clear up a lot of the questions regarding the new rules.
“We’ve been very quiet. How I would love to tell you the implementing guidelines but I can’t tell it. Professionalism ang habol namin,” Atayde said.
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