On Wed, Oct 26, the University of the Philippines (UP) Pep Squad announced on their Facebook page that they won’t be joining the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 79 Cheerdance Competition.
The decision was made due to the failure to reach a resolution with the competition’s organizers over the protest that they filed last year.
ABS-CBN News recalled: “UP had placed third in Season 78, with National University (NU) coming in first place and University of Santo Tomas (UST) placing second. UP disputed the result, with coach Lalaine Juarez-Pereña filing a formal protest to the UAAP Cheerdance Committee that was endorsed by UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan. Their protest was dismissed, however.”
Juarez-Pereña had said that they will not join the competition if their questions are not answered.
Below is the UP Pep Squad’s full statement:
Last year was one of the most striking seasons in the history of our team. If you have been following our story since, thank you for your interest and patience. Finally, we can share the news to those who have been wondering that, regretfully, we will not be part of this season’s UAAP Cheerdance Competition.
From our first request for an informal meeting, to the letter of protest advised by the organizers themselves, we have exhausted all our efforts to reach a resolution. We have repeatedly sought out the delegated individuals to no avail. And after many weeks, months, and now a year of waiting, our issues and questions remain unresolved.
Reared in the institution we represent, we abide with our principles of honor and integrity, and stay true to our word of foregoing with the competition, should the same organizers be hired to handle the event again.
Though you may not all agree with us, we hope that our supporters will understand our decision and remain behind us in harnessing our freedom to prioritize our principles and the welfare of our student athletes.
We are grateful and fortunate still, that our efforts in training for the past 12 months can still be geared towards other worthwhile events.
At present, our team continues to prepare for other commitments including our participation in this year’s Asian Cheerleading and Dancesport Competition. The national governing body of cheerleading in the Philippines has granted us the honor of representing the country in this event and we are thrilled to carry our flag alongside Asia’s best teams.
We are also working on a simple gathering in keeping our duty to cheer for our university, fellow students and supporters: a consolation for the sizable longing that missing this season’s CDC will leave in our hearts. We hope you will be patient enough for this offering, or in terms familiar to us: an oblation.
Between this season and the one before, no one can be certain if it’s been good or bad for the team. All that we know for sure is the hurt we had to endure. But even that won’t matter in time. In a strange way, that is comforting.
What matters is knowing what you stand for, what you represent, and the freedom to act on it. What matters is knowing your capacity to endure, your value and how your worth is being measured. And again we are reminded, gratefully, that we are measured in love.
UP last won the cheerdance tilt in 2012, the last of three straight titles. Since then, the CDC has been dominated by the National University Pep Squad.
