THE biggest sports event in Baguio and Benguet is expected to be canceled this year.
“We fear for its cancellation,” said University of the Cordilleras (UC) athletic director Danilo Cong-o referring to the Baguio-Benguet Educational Athletic League, which has been canceled halfway to its 33rd season in March.
This year, the 34th BBEAL edition faces a grim future with no sports funds for the 11 member schools. The BBEAL opens usually on October.
Cong-o said the waiving of athletics fee for most schools here due to the request of parents and teachers leading to the passage of a resolution by the city council requesting the schools to do so.
Cong-o said that schools are already hard up in providing scholarships to athletes due to the waiving of athletics fees amounting to about P400 per semester.
BBEAL is composed of UC, University of Baguio (UB), Saint Louis University (SLU), University of the Philippines (UP) – Baguio, Pines City College (PCC), Baguio Central University (BCU), Baguio College of Technology (BCT) and Philippine Military Academy (PMA).
Members from Benguet are Benguet State University (BSU), Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) and Kings College of the Philippines, who took a leave of absence during the 33rd season.
BSU was supposed to host this year right after CCDC, which was staging the volleyball games when it decided to cancel the event due to the threat of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on March 8. Luzon was declared under an enhanced community quarantine on March 17.
“We are still waiting for CCDC to turn over hosting to BSU,” said UB athletic director Alan Elegado, though skeptic that games will proceed this year as Baguio remains under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), while Benguet is under GCQ due to spike of the number of cases mid-June.
Games for the 33rd BBEAL were supposed to be finished in April and the turn over to next host BSU should have been made also. Other sports during the second semester are taekwondo, judo, athletics, swimming, muay Thai, lawn tennis, football, arnis and boxing
The cancellation of the BBEAL is imminent as school athletes could have their scholarship removed or half of what they usually receive.
This as the city’s biggest universities have given a full or partial discount on athletics fees to comply with a city resolution that requested schools to remove or give a discount on miscellaneous fees.
UC has given a 25 percent discount on its athletic fees, even as it canceled its Private School Athletic Association (Prisaa) fees, dashing hopes for its athletes to join next year’s Prisaa.
UB, on the other hand, has canceled athletics fees as well as the Prisaa on top of the 100 percent discount on activity, medical and dental, socio-cultural, internet and insurance.
UB is the other Baguio school that joins the annual Prisaa, usually held in April. In fact, they are the biggest rivals for seats.
UB has likewise given a 50 percent discount on registration, university information, guidance and counseling, admission, development, staff and faculty development and audiovisual.
The grant of the 100 percent discount on athletic fee will affect some 600 athletes, UB athletics director Alan Elegado said.
“More or less 600 athletes from elementary to college,” said Elegado as he is seeking a reprieve from school administration.
“I have an appeal (with UB administration),” Elegado added.
Cong-o, on the other hand, said that UC has given a 25 percent discount on athletic fees this third semester but has not removed scholarships for its 262 athletes.
“I was able to ask the administration to grant the scholarship to our athletes for this third semester,” Cong-o added. “But then the problem will be this first semester where some 300 freshman athletes are coming in.”
UC just started its third semester and is expected to wrap up classes by August when most of the colleges are about to start the new school year.
“I believe Saint Louis University will also have the same problem and will make the necessary cut affecting their athletes,” added Cong-o.
SLU is the biggest school in Northern Luzon, with more than 28,000 enrollees last school year, while UB and UC have at least 15,000 enrollees each.
Paul Rillorta of the Baguio City Sports Office said that, for now, leisure sports like running, jogging, walking, biking and Zumba are being pushed while competitive sports will not be encouraged under the community quarantine.
“We still do not know when competitive sports will be allowed but, for now, we are pushing for leisure sports,” said Rillorta.