The PBA is now more lukewarm to the idea of holding another bubble, especially after the government allowed the league to hold 5-on-5 scrimmages in areas under General Community Quarantine.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said another bubble will pose more difficulty for the league, something that the Inter-Agency Task Force may have considered in relaxing the protocols on practices.
“Sana wag na,” Marcial said when asked of the chances of staging another bubble following the IATF decision.
“Sinabi ko din sa IATF na di na namin kaya mag-bubble. Sinabi ko mahirap dahil sa gastos so siguro kinonsider nila yun,” added Marcial
The league spent at least P65 million in staging last year’s PBA Philippine Cup bubble which lasted two months in Clark, Pampanga.
But PBA officials, namely Marcial and chairman Ricky Vargas said the league got plenty of discounts through the help of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, which has Clark Development Corporation as one of its subsidiaries.
Despite its reservations, the league had talks with the provincial government Ilocos Norte for a possible bubble.
That is why Marcial is stressing the importance of making the scrimmages, which could start May 18 once health and safety protocols are put in place, a success.
“Kaya kailangan mapakita natin na successful tong scrimmages na to, at sana payagan tayo maglaro ng official games,” Marcial said.
Teams will be given at least a month to hold scrimmages in GCQ areas before the league tries to seek the request of starting the season under a closed-circuit setup.