Senator Pia Cayetano
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Pia Cayetano, in an open letter, called out the UAAP board on its amendment of the existing residency rule, saying it goes against the “constitutional mandate to promote sports.”
Earlier this week, the UAAP board changed the residency rule, requiring foreign players and UAAP highschool players transferring to another member school in college to sit out two years instead of one.
Cayetano, a former volleyball varsity for the University of the Philippines, thinks the new rule “is cruel and unjust punishment” for athletes.
“…The 2-year residency that is currently applied to transferring college students, as well as any residency rule for high school students, deny athletes of their rights to develop their full potential,” said Cayetano in a statement posted on mydailyrace.com.
“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,” she added.
Cayetano cited Section 19, Article 14, of the 1987 Constitution, which states that:
“(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.”
In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Em Fernandez, the head of the league’s amendments committee, said the reason for such change was “most of the universities want to protect their high school programs.”
Cayetano, meanwhile, is against “any kind of residency rule for graduating high school students.”
“For transferring college students, the 1 year residency rule will suffice. Anything more than that is injustice to an athlete.”
“In the USA, transferring college athletes have a 1-year residency rest before they can play for their new school – only 1 year, and it doesn’t apply to high school students who choose to go to a different college,” Cayetano explained, also saying the one-year rule of the US-NCAA is aimed at helping students acclimatize to new school and academics.
“A student-athlete’s choice of university is influenced not only by athletics, but also by academics, campus life, and personal situation , and the 2-year residency encumbers their freedom of choice,” Cayetano added.
In the open letter, Cayetano also retold her experience playing for the women’s national volleyball team at the age of 17.