CHICAGO - When COVID-19 cases rose to a one-day high of 5,000 last March 13, our country's fight against the pandemic sank to a new low.
Two days later, amid the pomp and pageantry of the 2020 PBA Draft, a handful of draftees tested positive for the coronavirus, as many as four, I am told.
Both the affected teams and the PBA were not eager to share the news, a decision not borne out of a desire for secrecy but rather by the need to protect a patients' privacy.
Regardless, these latest developments shine a light on the league's wisdom, or lack of it, to hold a conference beginning this April 18.
I am torn into pieces over this one.
I understand that the PBA is a business, and just like the NBA, it needs to hold games to generate basketball-related income to plug the bleeding, especially for independent teams that wield a significantly lower budget than the SMC and MVP groups.
On the other hand, the decision to resume play should not be made under the influence of money. The 12,766 deaths is a stark reminder that this disease can neither be teased nor trifled with.
A few hours ago, Senator Sonny Angara sent a tweet urging citizens to "Stay home if you can guys, If u don't really NEED to physically be somewhere - best to just stay at home,"
"I second the motion," chimed in fellow senator Joel Villanueva.
Absent a players' association, the decision to restart rests solely on the PBA.
Will the league heed the call to stay put, let alone frolic in a basketball arena?
NO ONE KNOWS.
What is clear, though, is that after the "acts of God" clause was inserted in the Uniform Players Contract, the players will be encouraged to play.
I will never be accused of being a math genius. But the equation here is elementary.
No games mean severe pay cuts, as much as 50 percent, a league source told me.
More games add up to more numbers in the paychecks.
A family man myself, I'm not going to arrogantly judge PBA players for risking their health and grab whatever it is they need to grab to provide for their loved one.
I can only wish that the environment they will return to will be insanely safe.
Holding a full bubble, instead of a semi-bubble, is an option that should assuage some of the fears.
But that can be wildly expensive given that antigen tests cost up to P2,500 while PCR tests, depending on how quickly the results come back, range from P4,500 to P8,000.
Considering the number of personnel from each team and the frequency with which these tests must be taken to protect the bubble from bursting, the total expense could be staggering.
The Department of Health figures are out there in the open. The PBA doesn't need a study group to determine that a restart next month is too soon.
Sometimes, the best way to move forward is to stay still.
GO ANDRE GO. I can never know what it's like but I can only imagine that growing up with a father who happens to be a superstar athlete must be tough.

Not only must you live up to the famous name, you are likely to become a prisoner of other people's expectations.
This is why I was so elated to know that Andre Paras was drafted by Blackwater. Not only does he get to scratch off one item in his bucket list, he also gets to step out of Benjie's giant shadow.
I'm hearing great things about Andre and I am extremely confident he will find a niche in a league his dad once dominated.
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