The University of the Philippines (UP) Pep Squad announced that it will not compete in Season 79 of the UAAP Cheerdance Competition. An eight-time winner of the annual cheerdance event, the squad made the announcement on its Facebook page Wednesday morning, citing unresolved issues from an official letter of complaint filed by its coach, Lalaine Juarez-Pereña. In the letter, Juarez-Pereña questioned the results of Season 78’s cheerdance competition: National University Pep Squad’s first-place finish marked the third consecutive win for the team. Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas’ Salinggawi Dance Troupe came in second, and UP Pep Squad took third place.

UP Pep Squad’s protest was dismissed.

For her part, Juarez-Pereña addressed the decision with this post on her Facebook account: “Sometimes walking away has nothing to do with weakness, and everything to do with strength. We walk away not because we want others to realize our worth and value, but because we finally realize our own.”

She then reminisced on UP Pep Squad’s humble beginnings as a ragtag group of volunteers assembled in 1998 to cheer for the state university’s basketball team. “18 podium finishes for 18 straight years, with 8 championships. Wow. Daming 8. If that sounds overwhelming enough, imagine the number of people who’ve worked hard to sustain all those years, and more importantly, who has endured all the other years when we didn’t win the crown. Madami-dami din yun. And what I’ve learned in all those years is that our trophies are just as important as our consolation prizes. Our near-wins just as VITAL as our victories. By losing we realize what we can improve. By failing we realize where we fell short. And in those “non-championships’ find out how much we are willing to compromise.”

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