WHO WOULD have ever thought that the words of the great Allen Iverson would resurface and become a significant point of discussion during the middle of a global crisis? Yes, “We talkin’ about practice!”

With the Inter-Agency Task Force’s (IATF) recent decision to lower restrictions down to Alert Level 2 in numerous regions including Metro Manila, the return to on-site practices has been set in motion. Though on-site practices are the first crucial step in the comeback of collegiate sports like the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), a simple return is not as easy as it seems given the current circumstances. In light of the lowered restrictions, each university is required to file a proposal that will need to be approved by both its respective Local Government Unit (LGU) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

While numerous requirements are still currently being processed, the IATF’s lowering of restrictions indicates the looming end of online training—a bright spot as 2021 comes to a close.

IATF guidelines

In a recent appearance on DZMM, Interior Undersecretary Epimaco V. Densing III mentioned that contact sports such as basketball are now allowed, while also reminding the public that health protocols must still be followed. As per the guidelines, indoor facilities are required to follow a 50% maximum capacity, while outdoor areas are slightly more lenient at 70%, with both only catering to fully vaccinated adults. On the contrary, minors who are unvaccinated are also finally allowed in these facilities after almost a two-year hiatus.

This has left a questionable loophole with many pondering why unvaccinated minors are being allowed inside these institutions in the first place.

However, Densing credited the vaccine drives as effective and vital factors when it came down to the decision of loosening restrictions as Metro Manila was able to achieve a 90% fully vaccinated rate as of early November.

Given these requirements, the University Athletics Office (UAO) has already been prompted to send out proposals to CHED and the LGU concerned. In Ateneo’s case, it is the office of Quezon City (QC) Mayor Joy Belmonte, whose clearance hinges on CHED’s decision to formally begin on-site training.

Concerning the parameters for clearance, UAO Director Emmanuel Fernandez mentioned that the QC local government will most likely follow suit with whatever CHED decides, provided that the University complies with the CHED guidelines. Fernandez then delved into the school’s initiative to submit propositions even before CHED had laid out any of its guidelines in order for Ateneo sports teams to hit the ground running once the go-signal is given.

Ateneo has already written to CHED, inviting them to inspect the campus to further accelerate the process once everything gets cleared. Without the UAAP’s official memorandum, other UAAP universities are also taking the initiative by completing the requirements that they anticipate will be laid out by CHED. By preempting the preparations, the hope is that this will allow the universities to save time and to smoothen the processes once everything is finally approved. “The schools are doing whatever they can within their power as they await all these guidelines,” Fernandez remarked in Filipino.

Proposing protocols and guidelines

According to Fernandez, Ateneo is proposing to start on-site practices for the Men’s Basketball Team, as they are the first team expected to participate in the upcoming UAAP season tentatively scheduled for March.

However, the Men’s Basketball Team cannot return to on-site practices just yet. The implementation of on-site training depends on one of two outcomes: Either CHED and the LGU approve of Ateneo’s proposal, or Ateneo draws up plans that comply with CHED’s upcoming memorandum. 

“There’s no team yet [that has] started training on-site because even if kahapon lumabas lahat sa news that [on-site training] is allowed, si CHED, technically, wala pang nilalabas na actual memorandum (even if the news reported that on-site training is allowed, CHED technically hasn’t released a memorandum),” said Fernandez.

Alternatively, Ateneo’s current proposal also serves the purpose of proactive compliance for when CHED releases a memorandum enumerating the requirements that need to be met to begin on-site practices. “[CHED has not given] official guidelines to schools to be able to comply with kaya wala pang nag-susubmit ng (that’s why no schools have submitted) requirements to CHED,” said Fernandez.

Moreover, the lack of a memorandum has made it difficult for teams to meet CHED’s demands, delaying the start of on-site training. “Because wala pang nag-susubmit ng requirements, wala pa ring pwedeng mag-training kasi (nobody has submitted requirements, no teams can practice because) you need approval by two parties: It’s CHED and the LGU,” he added.

To gain CHED’s approval even before the memorandum’s release, Ateneo proposed a bubble setup wherein the Men’s Basketball Team—including players, coaches, and staff—will reside in Cervini Hall and travel to the Blue Eagle Gym by shuttle. Throughout the proposed six to eight week long training camp, all players, coaches, and staff are required to be fully vaccinated and to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. In the event that someone within the bubble tests positive for COVID-19, they will be placed in an isolation room and practices will be postponed until everyone is tested.

The mentioned protocols and guidelines are among the few of many in the meticulously planned proposal by the athletic department, and more proposals will be made as long as IATF restrictions continue to loosen.

End of online training

The recent downgrade of IATF restrictions kickstarted the process of schools’ return to on-site practices. Regardless of IATF guidelines, each school is still required to file a proposal that needs to be approved by CHED and the LGU detailing the intricacies of how on-site practices will be held.

In the case of Ateneo, several protocols and guidelines have been proposed to CHED and the LGU, which include the strict implementation of a bubble setup to minimize the risk of exposure on the players, coaches, and staff. Despite more hurdles needing to be cleared before returning to on-site practices, the recent developments are a positive sign as the end of online practice nears.

Editor’s Note: CHED has since permitted all eight UAAP schools, including Ateneo, to conduct on-site training.