MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) will be looking into the alleged "training bubble" of the UST Growling Tigers amid the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
Reports of the alleged "bubble" came after the controversial exit of incoming junior CJ Cansino from the UST program.
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Cansino has since transferred to the UP Fighting Maroons.
Cansino and the Tigers were allegedly kept in a "training bubble" in Bicol since June.
"We will look into it [and] verify the report," PSC Chairman Butch Ramirez told Olmin Leyba of The STAR.
Based on joint administration order (JAO) signed by the PSC, GAB and the Department of Health on the conduct of physical activities and sports, the PSC is in charge of amateur sports.
The PSC, GAB and DOH will get the side of UST on the allegations before submitting their findings and recommendations to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
The JAO specifically allows professional basketball and football teams to conduct "physical conditioning & non contact strength & sport-specific training" in groups of 5 in GCQ & 10 in MGCQ.
"If there is merit, cases can be filed in violation of the Omnibus Guidelines of the IATF," said GAB Chair Baham Mitra.
Only individual or dual non-contact sports such as badminton and golf are allowed for non-pros per the JAO.
UST has not yet released any statement on the issue as of posting.