PBA Govs Cup resumption on wait-and-see status

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) will decide on the resumption of the Governors’ Cup next month.

Commissioner Willie Marcial said he would convene the league’s board of governors sometime in February to discuss matters.

“Ang crucial, malalaman natin by February kung ano ang patutunguhan ng PBA. By February, malamang magpatawag uli ako ng isang board meeting para mapag-usapan kung saan tayo dadalhin ng pagkakataon ngayon (The crucial factor here is that by February, we will find out where the PBA is heading. By February, I will again call for a board meeting to discuss where fate would lead us now),” Marcial said in a podcast on Friday.

PBA action was supposed to resume with a double-header at the Araneta Coliseum on January 5 after a nine-day holiday break but Alert Level 3 was declared in Metro Manila due to rising coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases.

Although the Games and Amusements Board allows the PBA to play inside a bubble, the league opted to temporarily postpone the games as cases are alarmingly increasing by the day.

Marcial said he remains cautious of the situation because players could still contract Covid-19 even if they are in a bubble and are vaccinated.

“Ang concern namin, kahit full bubble o home-venue-home ang tema, nakakasigurado ba tayo na safe pa rin tayo sa pag-uwi natin ‘pag mataas ‘yung cases? (Our concern is the assurance on whether we would remain safe upon returning home amid high cases regardless of whether the theme is a full bubble or a home-venue-home format),” he added.

He has apologized to team owners and governors that the PBA had to scrap its entire January game schedule because of health and safety concerns despite their businesses already suffering regressions of up to 50 percent to 70 percent of their pre-pandemic revenues.

For now, Marcial said he is studying the trend in cases, noting that if the spread slows down significantly, they could map out resumption plans.

“‘Pag bumaba ‘yan (active cases), dahan-dahan na. Pero kung mataas pa rin, nakakatakot, di lang sa amin pati mga (If the active cases decline, we can gradually prepare but if it remains high, it’s scary not just for us but also for the) players,” he said.

Magnolia was on top of the standings at 3-0 after the league played its last twin bill on Dec. 26, 2021.

The league also declined an invitation from the Dubai Expo 2020, with three to four teams supposed to see action in a mini-tournament.

Source: Philippines News Agency

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