MAJORITY of the PBA teams may have started their practices in Batangas City, but not everybody is staying there.
Aside from Alaska, which is looking at another practice venue, Ginebra and Blackwater are also reportedly shifting their sights on areas outside the capital, but still inside the province, to hold their sessions under a bubble set-up.
“Ginebra is looking at a resort in Lipa while Blackwater has said they are eyeing Splendido (in Tagaytay),” a source told Malaya-Business Insight yesterday. “By next week magkakaalaman na iyan kung saan talaga sila.”
The main reason given, according to the source, is convenience.
“Kung stay-in sila sa lugar, they would avoid additional hassles brought about by traveling to Batangas, back to their homes and then back to Batangas, and then repeating the same routine the following day,” explained the source.
“Kung nandoon na sila, then walang scrambling to get to the practice site and no driving na pagod and sa kainitan ng araw.”
Basically, the same reason was given by Alaska coach Jeff Cariaso in explaining why the Aces plan on shifting to a still unnamed resort located within the province.
“I-o-ocular namin kung ayos ‘yung flooring. Kasi maganda doon, Batangas din siya so hindi naman siguro kami mahihirapang kumuha ng clearance,” Cariaso related.
“What’s nice is, baka sarili namin. So hindi nagmamadali na dalawang oras lang (each practice session like in Batangas City). So we will see. It’s actually a resort. May court sila.
Pero kung matigas ‘yung floor baka mag-Batangas City na lang kami.”
NorthPort, Terrafirma, Rain or Shine, San Miguel Beer, Magnolia and Phoenix have also decided to hold their closed-circuit scrimmages in Batangas City, where each team would practice for two straight days.
Meralco and TNT have opted for Laoag and NLEX in Central Luzon, with all three under a bubble setting.
A closed-circuit setting limits teams to home-venue-home routines while those in a bubble must stay within a hotel-venue-hotel setting.
Commissioner Willie Marcial said he is fine with teams choosing venues more to their liking as long as they get the necessary approval and all the health and safety protocols are followed.
“Hindi lang kami nag-mo-monitor, pati GAB umiikot na rin sa Batangas,” related Marcial.
The practices, set up in anticipation of the season kickoff next month, were made possible by the IATF allowing pro teams to conduct full-contact scrimmages in areas under GCQ or MGCQ quarantine levels.
