PBA gets green light in Pampanga with teams cleared for practice

Virtually cleared to proceed, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has given its teams the go-signal to go to Pampanga province on Monday as the league moves closer to reopening its stalled Philippine Cup in multiple sites.

“Teams are going to Pampanga on Monday, with a possible [tournament] resumption [on] the first week of September,” PBA deputy commissioner Eric Castro said on Saturday.

The Inquirer reported on Friday that the PBA has already secured the Pampanga province’s verbal agreement to relocate its activities there, finally ending the league’s search for a temporary home as Metro Manila continues to deal with an uptick in new COVID-19 infections.

The Don Honorio Ventura State University in Bacolor, Colegio de San Sebastian and Bren Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando City, and Angles University Foundation will be the practice venues for the 12 clubs. The league also added Beverly Place in Mexico, bringing the PBA’s staging sites to four.