MANILA, Philippines — Two years after its application to join the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was rejected, Lyceum of the Philippines University has become a strong candidate to become the 10th member of the country’s oldest collegiate sports league. According to sources, Lyceum has quietly worked its way to complete all the necessary requirements for membership, foremost of which is having a high school sports program.
Its inability to have one reportedly doomed its bid for membership two years ago.
Should it get approval from the NCAA Management Committee, Lyceum will become at first a guest team before gaining full membership.
As a guest team, however, Lyceum can compete for championships. Lyceum was among the six colleges which sought membership two years ago, but only Arellano University, Emilio Aguinaldo College and Angeles University Foundation made it as guest teams. Arellano and Aguinaldo are now regular NCAA members which has nine schools in its roster. Angeles backed out after playing as a guest member.
“There’s no decision yet, but I think Lyceum has a stronger chance this time (of being named as a guest team),” NCAA Management Committee (ManCom) chairman Frank Gusi of San Sebastian said yesterday. “They have already completed the necessary requirements.”
The Policy Board, made up of schools heads, will decide on the application based on the recommendation of the ManCom.
Gusi said Lyceum will need to get the two-thirds or six votes of the Policy Board to gain entry. A decision will be made April 29 when SSC formally turns over the hosting chores to the University of Perpetual Help for Season 87.
The Lyceum High School department is located in Cavite.
Gusi said apart from having a high school program, Lyceum has also met the two other requirements for membership.
It has gotten the endorsement from a member school (College of St. Benilde) and agreed to field high school teams in football, swimming, basketball, volleyball and track and field which are mandatory. The same events are also mandatory for college sports with the addition of cheerleading.
Lyceum athletic director Hercules Callanta said they have stand-by teams for all the mandatory events.
"I feel we have a strong point now because of our high school program," Callanta said. Membershsip will cost Lyceum at least a P1.5 million entrance fee and a P500,000 bond.
EAC and Arellano eventually became probationary members of the league last year, while the Pampanga-based AUF backed out.
Francis Santiago, Manila Bulletin
