UP Officials Deny Cavite Bubble

UST had a bubble in Sorsogon. NU had a bubble in Manila and Laguna. Apparently, everyone else had a bubble.

It seems that the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) officials will have their plate full anew as the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons became the next team to be investigated after reports came out that the Fighting Maroons held a "bubble" training in Silang, Cavite. The development came in at a time when the Board of Managing Directors (BMD) of the league is set to meet Thursday to discuss the bubble troubles of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, and the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs women's volleyball team. Reports also say that the Fighting Maroons will also be a part of the discussion as the BMD has been provided with copies of the alleged training session that UP apparently held in late July. 

UP officials are quick to deny allegations that the Fighting Maroons violated protocols set by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases due to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic including the government's protocol that prohibits non-professional sports teams to hold training sessions. For the officials of State U, it was only a shooting drill between former league Most Valuable Player, Bright Akhuetie, Coach Bo Perasol, and Perasol's nephew in a court nearby Perasol's home in Cavite. "Bright was a visitor of Coach Bo. They went on a shooting drill. No other players were there. No IATF rules were broken. We will offer all CCTV footage of what happened. We are not in the habit of breaking rules" This was the assurance made by UP College of Human Kinetics Dean Francis Diaz who is also UP's representative in the BMD.

Coach Bo Perasol also denied the allegation. "We had a shoot around in our court but it was only between me and Bright. That was the time when Bright came to stay and sleep with us. Me and my nephew were with him so we could have someone collect the rebounds off Bright's shots," Perasol said who even shared a photo of his graduating big man shooting the ball by himself.

Incidentally, CJ Cansino left UST and headed for UP because he wanted to leave the Sorsogon bubble which the Growling Tigers referred to as a "defiance of authority" Now, his new team is under hot water for allegedly the same issue. True or not, the UAAP BMD is likely to discuss the bubble allegations against UP along with that against UST and NU. Whether there will be sanctions for UP is another story for another time. 

Photo is from Rappler