LAST year, the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers failed to enter the UAAP Final Four since the format was introduced in 1994. This, after head coach Januario “Aric” Del Rosario decided to bar Cyrus Baguio, Melchor Latoreno, Gilbert Lao, and Kenneth Co from playing .
Del Rosario was compelled to make the difficult decision was because some of those players opted to simply play in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL), sacrificing their commitment to UST and more importantly, their studies.
Though Del Rosario had foreseen the effect of his decision, the original “four-peat” architect said that he had no regrets.
I asked Del Rosario during the team’s practice a few weeks ago if he would be willing to make the same decision again seeing what it had done to the team. Del Rosario immediately said yes. That just shows his character, which I find to be really admirable.
One of the reasons why I love this work is that not only do I get to do something I really love, I also get to learn lessons.
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Del Rosario’s concern for his players’ welfare rather than winning games and preserving the Tigers’ winning tradition, struck me.
Like a good father, he makes sure that his players would have something to lean back on if ever they do not succeed as a basketball player.
Lessons like this do not apply to the athletes but to each and every one of us. Understanding the importance of education is something that we should never take for granted.
Which brings me to another point. Being an irregular student is hard. Although it wasn’t my intention to be an irregular student, what really makes it difficult are those people who fail to understand the difficulties we irregular students go through.
I’d like to cite one experience that really changed my views of the people whom I expected should be the most understanding to us, irregular students.
One week into this school year’s first semester, I went to the dean’s office to have one of my subjects moved from one class to another because I know attending it would be impossible for me, though the error in the schedule was mine. But the reason why I chose that schedule was because I could not find any other schedule before that would accommodate all my other subjects including one, which is a pre-requisite for next semester.
So I calmly asked the person who handled the enrollment procedures in our faculty and asked nicely that my schedule be changed. Guess what that person told me — “Wala kayong karapatan na mamili ng schedule niyo. Iyan ang parusa sa inyo dahil irregular kayo.”
Shocked, I quietly left the office and accepted my fate.
Before I continue, I’d like to make one thing clear. I am not saying this because I want to get back to that person. I am doing this because I want irregular students like me to be treated equally just like the rest of the regular students. I mean, why are we being punished? We don’t pay the university high tuition for it to punish us. Moreover, people in the dean’s offices aren’t paid salaries to punish students like me whose tuition makes their salaries possible.
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With that out of my chest, I’d like to talk about sports once again.
Studio 23’s acquisition of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) coverage rights is a great move for both parties.
The country’s oldest collegiate league finally gets the coverage it rightfully deserves after being left behind by the more glamorous UAAP for the past years. With broadcasting giant Studio 23 already behind them, it won’t be long before the NCAA becomes at par with the UAAP.
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With the UST Growling Tigers “whole” again, it would be interesting to see how they would fare this time. I am not the type to make predictions but I could really see a UST-Ateneo showdown in this year’s UAAP finals. Sorry La Salle.
The best of luck to UST and as my favorite wrestler Triple H loves to say—let the games begin.
