GINEBRA star LA Tenorio started the ball rolling and everybody else lent a hand in helping the PBA resume its Philippine Cup in Pampanga.
Commissioner Willie Marcial bared this Tuesday night, saying the likes of NLEX coach Yeng Guiao and Pampanga Gov. Delfin Pineda helped make the resumption of the season-opening tournament come true.
Mostly, Marcial pointed out, a huge chunk of the credit should go to the players led by Tenorio.
“Unang-una, nagpapasalamat ako sa mga players. Kasi kinausap ako ni LA Tenorio,” related Marcial during The Game on One Sports+ program.
“Nag-meeting daw mga captain balls, na kung puwede daw magsimula (ulit) kahit sila daw ang gumastos ng kanilang mga hotels, pagkain, matuloy lang,” added Marcial. “Malaking bagay iyon. Tumuloy na kami.”
Appearing on the same program, Tenorio said he just wanted the league to start play again. “Habang naka-stop kami, (inisip ko na) we have to do something about it. We cannot wait for this to finish,” he said.
“So andami ko nang naisip. Nag-isipako kung ano’ng puwedeng paraan. I started talking to all the teams eventually, all the team captains and representatives. Shinare ko lang ‘yung mga naisip ko for us to get going (again),” added Tenorio.
“Thankful ako kasi nag-cooperate din sila. Everyone is willing to play. Whatever it takes, makapaglaro and matuloy lang ang PBA.”
The help from the players is a welcome development since the 12 teams’ stay in hotels and villas across Pampanga, expected to last until October, could not be shouldered by the pro league alone.
Last year’s Philippine Cup bubble in Clark, where the teams stayed at the Quest Hotel and played at the Angeles University Foundation gym, cost the PBA around P70 million.
“Hindi na naming kayang mag-bubble,” admitted Marcial, adding all the team representatives are all as one in doing their share.
“Mukhang mga teams tumutulong din para hindi masyadong gumastos mga players,” offered Marcial.
Shifting to Pampanga became a necessity after the PBA halted play last Aug. 4 in anticipation of the government raising the quarantine status in Metro Manila to ECQ. The league was given permission by the IATF to play in areas under GCQ or MGCQ, the latter being the prevailing level in Pampanga.
But even before Marcial and the team representatives agreed to the plan and while the league started really looking for alternate venues in Pampanga, the other players have already began making moves to make the resumption possible.
Particularly Arwind Santos of San Miguel Beer.
“Pinangunahan ni Pareng LA, kung paano matutulungan ang PBA,” Santos said. “Sila KG (Canaleta of Blackwater) sabi: ‘O, pare, mukhang ano tayo sa Batangas, ganyan-ganyan.
Baka puwede tayong lumapit sa tatay-tatayan mo.’”
Canaleta was referring to Pineda, a known basketball enthusiast who has been a long-time benefactor of Santos and other players from Pampanga.
“Ginawa ko naman ang part ko. Tawag agad ako kay Gov,” added Santos. “Um-okay naman si Gov at nag-rekomenda agad ng apat na venue, iyung AUF, (Don Honorio Ventura State U) DHVSU, (Bren Z. Guiao) Convention (Center) at saka (Colegio de) Sebastian. Ipinasa ko sa PBA.”
Guiao also personally talked to Pineda on behalf of the PBA while he was asking permission for the Road Warriors to be able to practices in the province and got a verbal assurance from the provincial chief that the PBA would be allowed in, too.
The PBA finally settled on the DHVSU gym in Bacolor as games venue while relegating the other sites to practice facilities before re-starting play on Sept. 1.
