THE Philippine Basketball Association is adopting several measures that will help the league become vibrant moving forward.
The league, on its 46th year, is set to hold a dialogue with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the pandemic to discuss the possibility of having fans back in the playing venue for the coming Governors Cup while the Board of Governors has ruled that that Fil-foreign players now only need to present a valid Philippine passport to be available for the rookie draft.
These were some of the new developments announced by Commissioner Willie Marcial and Board Chairman Ricky Vargas when they appeared together in the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum yesterday.
Marcial said he will sit down with the IATF within the coming days to talk about the protocols to be implemented for the import-flavored conference and request that the league be allowed to have the fans back in venues after playing two consecutive conferences under a bubble set-up minus an audience.
“Hihingi ako ng dulog sa ating IATF kung puwede na ang fans. Makikipag-usap ako kung ilang percentage ang puwede, kung paano ang seating arrangement, kung ano ang protocols and safety measures na kailangan natin,” Marcial said.
“It’s a joyous occasion to see the fans back,” Vargas said in the public sports program presented by San Miguel Corp., Milo, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.
The second conference is tentatively set to start on Nov. 28 depending on the arrival of all 12 imports. What is certain is the opening of the inaugural PBA 3×3 tournament on Nov. 20 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
In the same program, Vargas announced that the Board has allowed Fil-foreign players with Philippine passport to become eligible for the annual draft.Previously, aside from a Philippine passport, Fil-foreign players were also required to get certifications from the Bureau of Immigration and affirmation from the Department of Justice.
That’s everything in the past now, according to Vargas.
