YENG Guiao said on Monday that a mandatory vaccination of all PBA players, coaches, officials and staff before launching the 2021 season is better than mounting another bubble amid a fresh spike in COVID-19 cases.
Although a tie-up with Red Cross on the procurement of the vaccines is already in place, Guiao said it’s important for the league to exhaust all efforts to obtain jabs for all league personnel at the soonest possible time.
Vaccinations will allow the league to launch a season that had to be shelved when the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining provinces where placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) for two weeks.
Guiao himself said he’s very much willing to be inoculated if a vaccine is available.
“The PBA being in a position to find ways to access it (vaccine) should explore and exhaust all efforts towards that,” he said. “Vaccine is the game changer.”
Initially scheduled to kick off the season-opening Philippine Cup on April 18, the league is suddenly facing uncertainty following the continued rise in COVID-19 cases, which reached a single day high of 15,310 on Good Friday.
The league is now tentatively looking at either May or early June to kickstart the new season.
There are also talks about the PBA going through another bubble just like in last year’s Philippine Cup in Clark, although Commissioner Willie Marcial is having second thoughts about what he described as the league's 'last resort.'
Guiao said having players, coaches, and league personnel vaccinated will be way cheaper than having the league play again inside a bubble. The entire PBA delegation in Clark last year numbered more than 500 persons.
The two-month bubble cost P65 million to P70M to mount.
“Kasi kung magba-bubble tayo, P65 million yung ginastos natin. E, kung makakuha tayo ng vaccine sabihin mo na kahit mahal yung vaccine, bibili lang tayo ng 2,000 vaccines,” said the NLEX coach.
“Kahit na sabihin mo P10,000 yung vaccine, tapos bumili tayo ng 2,000. Magkano yun? Can you imagine P20 million against P65 million,” he added.
It helps too, that the government recently allowed the private sector to procure its own COVID-19 vaccines.
Under its tie-up with Red Cross, for every vaccine purchased by the PBA, a corresponding vaccine will be donated by the league to frontliners and health workers, as recommended by Guiao himself.
“Kung makakuha tayo ng 3,000 vaccines, atin na lang yung 1,000, yung 2,000 pamigay na lang natin sa lahat ng nangangailangan. Basta anything na sobra sa nakuha natin, ipamigay natin, tulong na natin,” he said.
“E, di nakatulong tayo na makadagdag doon sa mga nagkakaroon ng immunity, at the same time, hindi tayo gagastos ng malaki, wala tayong logistical challenges,” Guiao added. “Pero yung mga player nakaka-practice, nakakauwi sa bahay, nakakapaglaro. Wala ka ng iniisip.”
The PBA asked the Red Cross for AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines.
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