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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN.com/UAAP Media) |
With three major international tournaments set to cap off 2025, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) are preparing to make necessary adjustments to the calendar of Season 88 to allow its student-athletes to serve national duty. The Philippines will host the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship in September while athletes — many from UAAP schools — will compete in the rescheduled 2nd Asian Women’s U16 Volleyball Championship in Amman, Jordan on November 1-8 and the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand this December.
With these events looming, the Season 88 hosts are already anticipating changes in scheduling and venue logistics as the new UAAP season kicks off this September. UAAP Season 88 President and UST Institute of Physical Education and Athletics Director Fr. Rodel Cansancio O.P. said the league is prepared to accommodate national team commitments, especially if called upon to lend athletes for the SEA Games. During the ceremonial renewal of UAAP's partnership with Cignal TV Inc. last June 30, 2025 at UST's Buenaventura Garcia Paredes O.P. Building, Fr. Cansancio said, “Kung may request coming from the national teams, that’s the time that we have to decide. Sabi ko nga before, we are open naman to adjust our schedule if there’s indeed a call and request for the UAAP to help in the national team.” The biggest challenge is expected in the first semester with collegiate basketball and collegiate football expected to run through December. Many UAAP student-athletes from those sports are expected to bolster Team Pilipinas’ SEA Games campaign. The rescheduling of the U16 volleyball championship, initially set for July but moved to November due to the Israel-Iran conflict, also compresses the first semester calendar. Many members of that youth team will also come from UAAP programs. Fr. Cansancio emphasized, “If there’s a call and a request from the NSAs, the BMD and the BOT would agree and we’re willing to adjust our schedule, especially kung may players coming from the UAAP schools, just like what we’ve done before. If there’s a call and a request, we are more than willing to lend our players for the national team.”
While the full Season 88 calendar has yet to be finalized, Fr. Cansancio confirmed that the UAAP collegiate basketball tournaments are slated to open in the third week of September. As host of the season opener, UST will hold the opening ceremony at the UST Field and Grandstand while the basketball games will begin that same weekend at the Quadricentennial Pavilion Arena. “The opening ceremony will be on a weekday, hindi ko muna sasabihin yung final date since it is still for approval. We’re looking at the third week of September tapos weekday and yung start ng basketball season is yung weekend of the same week. Practically, you have the opening and sana ma-approve ng BMD, ay yung start ng basketball week is here in UST. Parang UAAP opening week here in UST,” said Fr. Cansancio. Complicating things further is the limited availability of UAAP’s usual venues during September, particularly the SM Mall of Asia Arena and Smart Araneta Coliseum which are the main venues for the FIVB World Championship. Moreover, the Playtime Filoil EcoOil Centre, Philsports Arena, Rizal Memorial Coliseum, and Ninoy Aquino Stadium have already been designated as training facilities for the FIVB teams, further limiting options for UAAP basketball. Fr. Cansancio said UST has already begun working with alternative venues including the QPAV and Ateneo’s newly-renovated Blue Eagle Gym.
