THE PBA has to play another waiting game, but this should be shorter than previous ones.
Commissioner Willie Marcial yesterday said he will write a letter to the Games and Amusement Board to seek clarification on what the revised quarantine status in the so-called NCR Plus means for the PBA.
“Ika-klaro ko. Susulat ako agad sa GAB para malaman natin kung ano distinction sa previous quarantine level,” Marcial told Malaya-Business Insight.
“At the same time, gusto rin nating malaman kung puwede na tayong mag-practice dito sa Metro,” added Marcial. “Susulat ako today (Tuesday) or tomorrow at the latest.”
In a pre-recorded television announcement aired late Monday night, President Duterte declared that NCR, along with its adjacent provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Rizal, will continue to be under GCQ “with restrictions” until June 15.
The guidelines on how that status differs from GCQ with heightened restrictions, enforced in the NCR Plus up to the end of last month, were still to be issued by the government as of yesterday.
Such “heightened restrictions” prohibited the opening of indoor gyms and prompted the 12 PBA teams to practice in other areas under GCQ or the more relaxed MGCQ, a move approved by the IATF.
Nine teams went to Batangas, Meralco and TNT opted for Laoag and NLEX chose Clark to set up their training camps in.
All ballclubs have concluded their two-week practices aimed more at conditioning and have returned home to Metro Manila.
“Lahat sila nandito na, nag-aabang,” Marcial said of the teams that were all hoping to conduct the final stages of their pre-season preparations in their usual practice gyms within the megacity.
The PBA is eyeing to kick off its long-delayed 46th season, initially set mid-April, either by the last week of June or the first week of July.
While waiting for the clarification and official word from Marcial, the ballclubs should also mull the possibility of going back to training camps outside of the NCR Plus.
