Senate trashes residency rule

Prized recruits Hubert Cani and Mark Dyke look to see action in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament this season as the Senate and the House ratified the bicameral version of the Student-Athletes Protection Bill.

The UAAP will be forced to strike out the controversial two-year residency rule following the passage of the bill, which prohibits any league from forcing high school players to a sit-out period when transferring to a different school.

“With the approval [of the bill], the unjust practice of residency rules for high school students going to a different college will be a thing of the past,” main proponent Sen. Pia Cayetano said in a statement after Senate Bill No. 2226, in consolidation with House Bill No. 5115, was passed Wednesday night.

With the development, players like Cani can now see action in the UAAP this season, a year after the former National U high school star decided to play for Ateneo in college. Dyke, another NU standout, also no longer needs to sit out before playing for La Salle this year.