Metro Manila, Philippines – The sanctions previously imposed by the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) on De La Salle University and University of Santo Tomas (UST) have been revisited in online discussions on how the collegiate league handled past issues and dealing with the drowning of two Ateneo de Manila University student-athletes.
UAAP executive director Rebo Saguisag said the league has yet to decide on possible penalties from the deaths of Ateneo men’s basketball players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during a team-building activity of the school in Dipaculao, Aurora on June 8.
Saguisag said the basketball season has not yet begun, thus any calls for a preventive suspension of any individual or team is premature pending investigations.
“I know this may sound (cliche), but technically preventive means suspending immediately. But right now, the basketball season has not started, so there’s nothing to suspend initially,” the official said in a press conference.
“So whatever preventive suspension, I don’t know whether or not their institution will do that if it’s really based on their prerogative. As far as we’re concerned, the season, the basketball season for that matter, has not begun,” he added.
Ateneo men’s basketball head coach Tab Baldwin and team manager Epok Quimpo are on leave pending probes on the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili, the school announced on Thursday, June 11.
Meanwhile, netizens have cited previous penalties that La Salle and UST faced.
La Salle was suspended for the entire 2006-2007 season after two of its men’s basketball players, Mark Benitez and Tim Gatchalian, used false academic documents in the 2003-2004 season.
The season-long suspension was across all sports which included forfeiture of championships during the affected period.
In 2020, the UST men’s basketball team made national headlines when it was revealed there was an unauthorized training camp in Sorsogon amid strict COVID-19 lockdowns.
Then-head coach Aldin Ayo, his coaching staff, and UST’s athletic director resigned amid the controversy while the UAAP imposed an indefinite ban on Ayo for health protocol violations and endangering the lives of student-athletes during a global health emergency.
The indefinite ban prevented Ayo from taking any role in the UAAP.
This led to a massive player exodus including the transfer of Rhenz Abando and Brent Paraiso to Letran and CJ Cansino to the University of the Philippines.
Some netizens have called on the UAAP to take similar action, citing the La Salle and UST precedents.
