HOLDING the rest of the Governors Cup in whatever form of a bubble set-up is among the last of the PBA’s options.
Commissioner Willie Marcial admitted this yesterday, saying he and the team governors have put the idea of resuming the season-ending conference outside of Metro Manila in the back of their minds right now.
“Siguro kung wala na talagang ibang choice, saka na lang i-e-explore iyung mag-bubble or semi-bubble, lalo na sa probinsiya,” Marcial told Malaya-Business Insight.
“Kasi nga, una, masyadong magastos at baka hindi makaya ng mga teams,” added Marcial.
“Ikalawa, sa trend ng COVID sa ngayon, baka by the time na mag-resume tayo baka mas tumaas pa ang mga kaso outside NCR.”
Marcial based his assessment on data provided by the independent research group OCTA, which on Wednesday said the COVID growth rate within NCR Plus (Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Rizal) has slowed down but those in other highly urbanized cities remain “very high.”
“Ibig sabihin, in the next few weeks baka mas mahigpit pa sa labas at mas maluwag-luwag pa dito sa Metro kaya baka mas okay pa na dito na lang tayo,” Marcial said.
The PBA last held games on Dec. 26 before canceling games and scrimmages starting Jan. 5 due to the upsurge in COVID cases that forced the government to place some areas in the country, including NCR, under Alert Level 3 where contact sports like basketball are prohibited.
The uncertainty brought about by the infections prompted some quarters to raise the possibility of another bubble like in the PBA’s last two conferences, but main foil to that is the high cost of board and accommodations the teams must bear.
The league had to shell out close to P70 million to salvage the 2019 Philippine Cup in Clark while each team also had to pay high sums for their respective board and lodgings when the same tournament had to shift from the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig and finish out in Bacolor, Pampanga from September to October last year.
“Masyadong mabigat na para sa teams, ‘yung another bubble o semi-bubble sa probinsiya,” said Marcial.
One thing for sure, according to Marcial, the PBA is bent on finishing the Governors Cup.
“Iyon ang usapan ng lahat ng governors, na kailangan matapos itong Governors Cup,” Marcial said. “Kung kinakailangang tapusin ito ng all-Filipino, ‘yung papauwiin na lang mga imports para bawas-gastos, gagawin.”
Such options and other things each team representative may bring to the table would be discussed further during a PBA Board meeting Marcial said is scheduled either Monday or Tuesday of next week.
For the moment, making Marcial positive the tournament could indeed be finished and in a cheaper way than another provincial sortie is the fact that Pasig mayor Vico Sotto is open to hosting the PBA games as long as it is held under a bubble set-up.
Games and Amusements Board chairman Baham Mitra also announced earlier this week that the agency has endorsed to the IATF a PBA resumption under a home-venue-home setup.
