CHED will issue show of cause orders against UST and NU for sports offenses

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is prepared to issue a Show of Cause Order (SCO) against Sto University. Tomas (UST) and the National University (NU) after alleged violations of the Commission’s guidelines by their sports teams.

In a virtual briefing on Monday, CHED President J. Prospero De Vera III said the Commission has already completed its investigative report on the alleged violation of the quarantine protocols of both universities to conduct training for some of the their college teams in the middle of the community quarantine.

According to De Vera, the report has been submitted to the Interagency Task Force (IATF), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for appropriate actions.

He added that the report is for interested agencies to further investigate the incident and look for other violations that have been committed during the training, such as travel restrictions or local ordinances.

“Regarding violations of the CHED warnings, we will issue show of cause orders to the UN and UST requiring them to explain why sanctions should not be imposed on their officers, teaching and non-teaching staff for non-compliance with the guidelines of the Commission, ”De Vera told reporters.

“The SCO’s intent is to ensure that there is due process in the investigation and that we can identify what possible CHED warnings may have been violated,” he explained.

The Commissioner emphasized that CHED issued a notice in March ordering higher education institutions (HEIs) to organize the immediate departure of their students, faculty and staff to their places of origin, while a notice published in May prohibits schools hold mass gatherings such as ceremonies and all school activities.

However, the head of higher education said it is “premature” for now to say that CHED will punish or impose sanctions on both universities, adding that they must first read their response to the show cause order.

The Commission’s decision came weeks after reports surfaced about the “Sorsogon bubble” being held by the UST basketball team, as well as alleged training conducted by NU for its volleyball players in the middle of the lockdown when a strict home quarantine.

READ MORE: CHED in the UST bubble: it is clear that training actually took place at Sorsogon