IT looks like the PBA would be returning to the place where it successfully held its lone tournament last year.
According to Commissioner Willie Marcial, only some details need to be ironed out before the Philippine Cup resumes in Pampanga, at least temporarily.
“Nilalakad na namin ang Pampanga,” Marcial said yesterday. “Nag-inspect na team ko last Friday sa Pampanga at may basbas na rin kay Gov. (Dennis Pineda).”
The PBA’s move to transfer its games from the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig came even before the National Capital Region was placed under ECQ from Aug. 6-20. The IATF announced last Friday that the pro league is only allowed to play in areas under GCQ and Modified GCQ.
The original site was Lipa, Batangas, but that province was placed under GCQ with heightened restrictions, forcing the PBA to look elsewhere instead of waiting for NCR to be placed under a less restrictive quarantine level.
Pampanga, which hosted last year’s Philippine Cup bubble at Clark, is again a prime candidate anew since it is currently under MGCQ. However, in the event the province is placed under a more restrictive quarantine, games will again have to be postponed as per the IATF directive.
“Should the community quarantine classification of their proposed new venue be escalated to a community quarantine classification higher than GCQ, the PBA should look for another venue that is under GCQ or MGCQ,” the IATF said in a memorandum to the league.
Also to be decided on is what kind of set-up the league would utilize when it is allowed to resume in a province, whether it would be a bubble like last year or a closed-circuit tourney.
Last year’s bubble saw PBA and team personnel lodged at the Quest Hotel and playing at the AUF Gym, entailing a cost of more than P65 million, a huge financial hit for the league.
According to PBA Vice Chairman Bobby Rosales, one option is for a semi-bubble format, which will have league and team personnel looking for accommodations other than a hotel.
