At the heart of UAAP basketball, there are always three key protagonists: the players, the fans, and yes, the referees.
The league prides itself on having quality officials who oversee games throughout the season across its various 5-on-5 and 3×3 competitions at both the high school and collegiate levels.
Each year, the UAAP Commissioner’s Office ensures that referees participate in various development programs to make their calls as accurate as possible. Officials, regardless of gender, are assigned games based on their consistency and availability.
“Progression din,” said Irish Sano-an. “Pagkapasok ko sa Season 82, sa girls’ ako sinalang. Nung Season 85, nasimulan na both men’s and women’s ako nasasalang. Nung seasons 86-87, nag-focus ako sa women’s.
“Siyempre dito ka sa eliminations, and then habang maganda ang pinapakita mo, aabot ka sa finals. Basta okay ang performance, dadalhin ka sa bigger games.”
A five-season veteran, Sano-an makes it a point to mentor her junior colleagues in the UAAP. Two of them, Roselle Ponting and Angelique Talplacido, started at the tail end of Season 87 and continue to progress in their refereeing careers in the league.
For Ponting, who began refereeing in 2014, making it to the UAAP is a source of immense pride.
“Sobrang sarap po sa pakiramdam because I came from the province, which is Bicol,” she said. “Di namin na-look forward na makakatuntong ako dito lalo na UAAP na (one of the) biggest league in the Philippines. Sobrang saya na sobrang daming nangangarap maka-pito and then I’m one of them. Sobrang masaya sa pakiramdam.
“I want to try men’s dahil nandun po lahat ng pressure like coaches, players and other staff — ite-test nila kung hanggang saan yung patience mo, kung kaya ba ng tolerance mo yung kulit nila.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Talplacido, who hails from Taguig, shared similar sentiments, especially given her passion for basketball. Treating the duty of refereeing in the UAAP as sacred, she continues to hone her craft in hopes of being assigned to the league’s biggest events.
She attests that newly appointed Commissioner Jai Reyes and his office have opened pathways for young referees like her to fulfill their aspirations during their time in the league.
“Unang punta ko sa UAAP, siyempre may goal din ako,” said Talplacido. “Nag-set ako ng goal, dapat maka-pito ako ng men’s. Ngayon, nakikita ko naman na possible na maka-pito ako ng men’s.
“Tulad ng sinabi ni Comm. Jai, pinapakita niya sa amin na possible ang mga babaeng referee ay maka-pito sa men’s talaga.
“Nagte-training naman kami. Sila Comm. Jai, nagse-set pa rin sila ng training sa mga referees. Nagkakaroon kami ng mga viewings para kahit hindi ka mai-schedule, aware pa rin kami sa mga nangyayari: yung mga di dapat pituhan at yung mga dapat pituhan,” she added.
One of Reyes’ initiatives is to institutionalize meritocracy when assigning referees to games across UAAP competitions, regardless of gender. Those who consistently perform well are given the chance to officiate the season’s biggest games.
This approach not only adds valuable experience to a referee’s CV but also comes with higher financial incentives.
“Talagang nakadepende sa performance mo at kung okay ang assessment ng technical team sa performance. Dun nila ibabase kung pwede kang ilagay sa heavier games,” said Sano-an.
“Ang UAAP payment is competitive naman compared to other leagues. Ang payment is after the game usually binibigay.”
As one of the country’s top collegiate leagues, ithe UAAP seeks not only to showcase elite players and coaches but also officials who are ready to take on the challenge of managing the biggest games.
“You look forward to the bigger games. Kaya binibigay talaga namin yung one hundred-percent namin during all games,” said Sano-an.
