THE clock is ticking on the PBA as the league weighs on whether to postpone matches in the days-old Philippine Cup, play without fans, or play on despite the threats of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The board of governors is set to convene in an emergency board meeting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday at Bonifacio Global City, although commissioner Willie Marcial held off from disclosing where exactly the venue.
Marcial said media are barred from the meeting and an advisory will be issued as a decision is reached.
Wednesday's games at the Smart Araneta Coliseum are slated to have TNT and Phoenix Super LPG make their season debuts at 4:30 p.m., while NorthPort and NLEX collide at 7 p.m. in only the second gameday of the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup.
The last time the pro league cancelled a gameday was back in July 2018 due to heavy rains and flooding brought upon by Typhoon Henry.
Also expected to be tackled is the status of the ongoing 2020 PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup, which is only on its second week.
President Rodrigo Duterte has already declared a state of public health emergency on Monday as confirmed cases of coronavirus rose to 33 on Tuesday.
A number of leagues have already cancelled their events, with the NCAA terminating its 95th season while the UAAP has suspended its games in volleyball and other sports for the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Super Liga (PSL) announced that it will push through its games, albeit will be held behind closed doors.
The PBA, however, faces a bigger problem as other considerations are in place, from television rights holder TV5 and Cignal to advertisers to commitments to hold games out of town.
Already, former PBA commissioner Noli Eala warned on Twitter that pushing through with the games may be irresponsible in the wake of the outbreak.
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