PBA waits its turn for vaccines

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial — PHOTO COURTESY OF PBA IMAGES

Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner Willie Marcial is hopeful that the league is able to stage its own vaccination drive soon.

Marcial sounded off his optimism as hundreds of national athletes bound for international competitions this year received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.

“Our turn will soon come,” Marcial told the Inquirer over the phone. “For now, all we have got to do is to stay patient.“

“We’re truly hoping that we are able to get our supply just before our targeted opening [date],” the league chief added. The PBA in late April reached out to the national government seeking help in procuring vaccines.

The league’s leadership has long said that while the jabs are not a prerequisite for the 46th season’s start, they could ease an array of worries and burdens among teams.

“[W]e’ll be seeking help from [vaccine czar Secretary] Carlito Galvez for the PBA to get an allocation. But they are also saying that if [the private companies] already have their vaccines, they can go ahead with inoculation,” Marcial said in a press briefing back then.

“We’re not saying we’re going to jump [the line]. The companies have the right to choose who they choose to vaccinate after all,” he added.

The commissioner said that vaccines ordered by the San Miguel Corp. and the Manny V. Pangilinan group—two of the biggest conglomerates in the league—are scheduled to arrive sometime between late June or early July.