THE PBA may re-think its plans of playing its 46th season at the Ynares Center in Antipolo and instead hold a semi-bubble format should the COVID situation in NCR Plus does not improve.
Commissioner Willie Marcial stated such a possibility in a recent interview, adding all concerned PBA personnel must first be vaccinated before they could proceed as planned once allowed by the government agencies.
“Siguro dapat bakunado na lahat para payagan tayo,” Marcial has said. “Sa ngayon iyon lang ang pinakamagandang scenario at siguro naman papayagan na tayong maglaro pag nangyari iyon.”
That, however, hinges entirely on whether the vaccines intended for the PBA arrives in time.
A clearer picture of how the PBA goes about proceeding with its season would be known following a PBA Board special meeting yesterday.
Another scenario is for the PBA being allowed to play due to a special permit from the government agencies, but not at the Ynares Center and in a bubble format like last year’s Philippine Cup in Clark, which reportedly cost as much as P70 million to stage.
The PBA had wanted a home-venue-home routine for all players and team personnel. But that would not be feasible if the site is somewhere outside the NCR Plus, which covers Metro Manila and the neighboring provinces of Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal.
If the PBA insists on a semi-bubble and Ynares remains unavailable, the alternate venue must be close to NCR to minimize any risk brought about by traveling there, according to Magnolia coach Chito Victolero.
“Let’s say more than an hour one way iyung biyahe, nandoon ‘yung posibilidad ng aksidente,” reasoned Victolero.
“Imagine, bumibiyahe ka ng ganoong katagal lalo pa’t galing ka sa talo? Ang hirap mag-concentrate sa driving nu’n.”
So it would more likely be the entire PBA delegation going through another bubble wherein everybody would be housed in just one area.
Such a scenario has been termed by Marcial as a “last option,” but one sacrifice the PBA is willing to go through—despite the huge financial toll—to at least get something than nothing.
Marcial has ruled out Clark since the venue is set to host the FIBA Asia Cup qualifying window on June 16-20.
“Kung hindi na-move back iyung (FIBA) window swak sana tayo ulit sa Clark,” mused Marcial. “Pero dahil nga sa nangyari, mapipilitan tayong maghanap ng iba.”
NLEX coach Yeng Guiao has his own suggestion. “P’wede siguro sa Subic dahil kalalaro lang doon ng MPBL,” he said. “If not, we can maybe try Batangas or Quezon.”
Alaska coach Jeff Cariaso pointed to the Gatorade Hoops in Mandaluyong as a potential venue in either a bubble or semi-bubble format. “Tutal wala namang audience allowed inside the venue so p’wede na iyon,” he said.
“Malaki parking, dadalawa entrance and exit points so madaling ma-secure and masunod health and safety protocols.”
