THE PBA will present before the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Infectious Diseases its plan to kick off its 46th season this month.
Commissioner Willie Marcial will make the presentation before the Task Force within the week as it seeks to get the government's nod for the season-opening Philippine Cup to finally get going by the third week of July.
The meeting will be held virtually, with the heads of the different government agencies under the IATF umbrella expected to be in attendance.
“Ipi-present ko na to start the season. And sasabihin ko this July ang tinitingnan naming date to start the season,” said Marcial, who previously submitted the league’s position paper regarding its opener before the IATF two weeks ago.
Meeting with MMDA
His meeting with the Task Force comes after the PBA chief made a courtesy call to Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Benhur Abalos last week to seek guidance from the agency about the existing rules and regulations of the IATF on contact sports such as basketball.
“Basketball is the Filipinos’ national pastime. But there is no denying that the PBA is struggling now because of the pandemic,” said Abalos. “We have to ensure the safety of everyone, not only the players, but the general viewing public. We cannot compromise the health and well-being of all.”
During his presentation, Marcial is expected to put emphasis on the successful Philippine Cup bubble the league mounted at Clark, Pampanga last year.
The process proved efficient that it eventually became the blueprint which Fiba adopted when the country hosted the final qualifier of the Fiba Asian Cup in the same venue last month.
The league will also highlight the proficient team scrimmages being done by the league outside of Metro Manila which have proven almost 99 percent free of COVID-19 cases since 5-on-5 practices began two months ago.
Marcial added moves are being done by the league to have members of the PBA family to be vaccinated for COVID-19.
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