MANILA, Philippines—Cavite and Batangas have signified their interest in joining the inaugural season of Liga Pilipinas which fires off May 31.

Liga Pilipinas CEO and president Noli Eala Wednesday said he is also waiting for confirmation from Subic, which could bring the number of Liga teams to 17.

Eala refuted rumors that Bacolod is pulling out of Liga, although the Visayas team, along with Ozamiz did not join the Southern pre-season event topped by the Cebu Niños.

"There is no pullout," Eala told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net). He added that the Liga has become attractive for cities because of its community-based concept.

"It's not just about basketball and developing young players, it's also about community building," he said.

Laguna and Pampanga arranged a title showdown in the northern phase of the preseason event by thumping Quezon (84-73) and Taguig (78-68) respectively.