Friday, November 16, 2007 Cesafi changes stand, to let schools join VAAA By Rommel C. Manlosa Sun.Star Staff Reporter
IT SEEMS the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. has eased its ban on its members from joining the Visayas Amateur Athletic Associaiton.
A source told Sun.Star Cebu the Cesafi board held a meeting yesterday noon to drop their Oct. 19 resolution that asked its members to seek clearance first from the association whenever they want to play for another league.
Cesafi commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy, however, could not comment on what the outcome of the meeting was as he was not invited.
“I was only informed that the Cesafi board will have a meeting. The meeting was only among the board members, which are the school owners and I was not invited to join. Yes, there was a meeting but on what was going on in the meeting, I am not privy to any of it,” Tiukinhoy said in an interview last night.
Meeting
According to the source the meeting was held to clear things out regarding the restriction with regards to their member schools joining the second season of the Visayas Amateur Athletic Association (VAAA).
VAAA is scheduled to open this Sunday at the Cebu Coliseum, supposedly without its defending champion, University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars.
Doubts cleared
However, the meeting yesterday cleared all doubts and the Jaguars will be defending their title and will face the Southwestern University Cobras in the main game.
“At first USJ-R backed out because of the resolution but I got a call this afternoon (yesterday) informing that USJ-R will be joining because the ‘ban’ was already lifted during the board meeting,” said VAAA founder and Cebu City councilor Raul Alcoseba last night.
As a sign of Cesafi’s support to the fledgling VAAA, Cebu first district congressman and the University of the Visayas president Eddie Gullas has accepted the invitation of the league to be its guest of honor and keynote speaker.
“Gullas is truly a sports leader… a true sportsman. We would be deeply honored by his presence,” said Alcoseba.
Gullas is a noted basketball leader in Cebu having played then served as coach to the 1954 National Inter-collegiate champions University of the Visayas.
