D.O.J.: PLAYERS’ PARENTS COULD BE LIABLE, TOO
THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Sunday clarified that the contents of a report from the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) group on the so-called University of Santo Tomas (UST) bubble would determine whether or not the department has jurisdiction over the case. “We will wait for the report of the JAO team and determine if the DOJ has any jurisdiction over the matters raised therein,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said. Guevarra also said the DOJ may also look into the possible liabilities of parents of the UST players who signed the waivers allowing their sons to participate in the training camp.
“This will depend on the contents of the report, which we have not received yet,” Guevarra said.
The Growling Tigers, upon Aldin Ayo’s orders, underwent a three-month training bubble in the head coach’s native Barangay Capuy in Sorsogon City.
Most of the players are minors and needed their parents’ consent to travel to Sorsogon City for the bubble—an obvious violation of stay-at-home protocols for individuals aged 20 or younger during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Guevarra is expecting on Monday the JAO group’s report that is also expected to bear the group’s recommendations.
Games and Amusements Board (GAB) Chairman Abraham Mitra told Businessmirror on Saturday that the group would be elevating the case to the DOJ. The GAB, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Department of Health (DOH) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) make up the JAP group.
The Sorsogon bubble controversy conducted by Ayo broke out when team captain CJ Cansino was dropped from the Growling Tigers roster for defiance of authority.
Mitra earlier warned to bring the case before the Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) for imposition of sanction against UST, one of the founders of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), after he observed that the league was not inclined to probe the incident.
This prompted the UAAP Board of Managing Directors (BMD) to conduct its own probe, resulting to a recommendation that Ayo be sanctioned. The recommendation was submitted to the UAAP Board of Trustees (BOT), composed of the presidents of all eight member-schools for appropriate action.
Ayo resigned as coach on Friday, ahead of the UAAP board tackling his case.
Despite of the UAAP’S action on the issue, Mitra said the JAO would still submit its report to the DOJ, which has jurisdiction on the issue.
The JAO is also calling for a press conference on Monday to divulge the results of its investigation and to announce the results of its discussions with professional basketball and football leagues as the group intends to formulate protocols for amateur sports, specifically collegiate sports.