Rain or Shine superstar James Yap needs another swab test at the end of a 14-day quarantine before he joins team practice.
Yap, a two-time PBA Most Valuable Player, said deputy team manager Jireh Ibañes has informed him of the procedure in their last online meeting.
“Kailangan uli ako na magpa-swab test before ako maka-join talaga sa ensayo ng team. Hindi basta-basta na punta lang ako dun, kailangan talaga safety importante sa lahat,” said Yap.
“Kaya now need ko na muna na matapos yung 14-day quarantine sa bahay then tuloy na ako magpa-test para makapag-start na din ako and makasabay na ako ng ensayo sa mga ka-group ko.”
In a text message to Manila Bulletin, Ibanes said he expects the 36-year-old Yap to start practice next week.
“The target date (for Yap’s swab test) is on the 18th. Most likely he’ll join the workout of the team next week once we get his negative results,” said Ibañes, a former ROS player.
Ibañes said that Yap’s swab test is at the Makati Medical Center.
If given the green light, Yap would join the Monday-Wednesday-Friday session from 8 to 9 in the morning at the Reyes gymnasium in Mandaluyong City.
A member of the 40 Greatest Players in the PBA, Yap is in the first group of ROS players with teammates Jewel Ponferada, Norbert Torres and Sidney Onwubere under assistant coach Chris Gavina.
Yap had a negative result on his swab test last September 4 after arriving from Milano Marittima, a province in Ravenna, Italy where he stayed for three months with his fiancée Michela Cazzola and their four-year-old son Michael James and two-year-old daughter Francesca Michelle.