PBA still without Pampanga OK, faces potential indefinite break
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) will reassess its situation on Monday if the local government of Pampanga will not give a green light to the league to relocate its season there.
“We’re still waiting [for an answer],” PBA commissioner Willie Marcial told the Inquirer on Thursday afternoon. “But on Monday, we’re going to take a closer look at the situation.”
“We’ll make assessments by then,” added Marcial, who is still optimistic that Pampanga will open its doors to the league.
The Inquirer reported last Tuesday that the league—represented by deputy commissioner Eric Castro—was going to meet with Gov. Dennis Pineda on the possibility of resuming PBA’s all-Filipino conference matches in three sites: the cities of Angeles and San Fernando, and the municipality of Bacolor.
The PBA is looking for an alternate venue while Metro Manila remains under a hard lockdown in an effort to mitigate the spread of the dreaded Delta variant of the coronavirus.
A quick check with Castro that afternoon also yielded a similar response: “I met with his public administrator on Tuesday. [We’re] still waiting for approval.”
Failure to get Pineda’s thumbs-up would force the league into an indefinite break as Marcial said the league has not considered other sites for its relocation.
If cleared, the PBA intends to use the closed-circuit setup once again, with teams staying at hotels and rental properties.
Castro, in a previous interview with the Inquirer, said that while he is hopeful that the league will remain in the capital, “… there’s also that big possibility that we’re going to be in Pampanga [for a while] considering the threat of this new variant.”
Marcial said he is hoping to kickstart the all-Filipino before August ends, with teams getting back to scrimmages a week before the resumption.
“By Monday, we’ll know how to chart the coming days,” said Marcial. “Hopefully, we’ll know something more definitive so we can slowly get into retesting and [logistical planning].”
