PBA is back


Willie Marcial
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial (PBA Images)

SMART CLARK GIGA CITY--The PBA will resume the games on Tuesday after ironing out the new set of guidelines from the Inter-Agency Task Force that will ensure the safety of everyone inside the bubble.

Practices will be allowed on Sunday (today, for print), two days after the 45th Philippine Cup was postponed pending the new measures from the IATF. 

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said a revised schedule will be released soon as four playdates were suspended.

Marcial said they will use the four-day break to comply with the requirements set by the IATF to give utmost priority to the well-being of more than 350 delegates in the bubble before proceeding with the all-Filipino conference. 

The Blackwater player who turned out to be a case of false positive must finish his 10-day isolation at the New Clark City mega quarantine facility in Capas, Tarlac. The final day of his quarantine is on Monday, November 2. 

Delegates who will test positive have to undergo a 14-day quarantine and another swab test before re-entering the bubble. 

As per recommendation of DILG, an independent marshal will be deployed to ensure the compliance of the league with the existing health and safety protocols. 

In addition, the PBA, in coordination with the Clark Development Corporation (CDC), will have its own temporary quarantine facility within the Clark Freeport Zone. 

"We would like to reiterate that the PBA bubble has not been breached but we must always strengthen our protocols in consultation with the IATF and NTF to ensure the safety of everyone in the bubble," said Marcial.