THE opening of the PBA season is shrouded in uncertainty as the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country forced ballclubs to stop practices and the Commissioner's Office to rethink its season schedule.
The government's decision to put the National Capital Region (NCR) and neighboring provinces back under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) starting on Monday has left teams no choice but to halt daily practices.
PBA team practices were only allowed by the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in small groups in areas under General Community Quarantine (GCQ).
But even before the government's decision to put NCR Plus under ECQ, league insiders revealed almost half of the 12 PBA ballclubs have already called a stop to practices over concerns over the mounting cases in Metro Manila.
Sources revealed a number of PBA players and draftees have also returned positive results in the mandatory testing, causing delays not only in the practices but also in the negotiations of rookie contracts.
Sought for comment, PBA commissioner Willie Marcial admitted the league will likely be forced to delay its opening a second time. From April 18, the league is now looking to launch its 2021 season either in the last weel of April or early May.
The opening date was already pushed back from April 9.
"Ang crucial sa atin ay yung next announcement at the end of ECQ," said Marcial. "Kung ano man ang decision ng gobyerno natin - whether ECQ or MGCQ or GCQ - we'll take in from there and plan our season."
Another ECQ announcement and subsequent postponement is deemed crucial for the league and its member teams, which continue to pay the salaries of players, coaches, and staff in full since the onset of the pandemic.
The PBA board had in fact included an 'Act of God' clause in players' contracts, giving the league the right to revise contractual terms in extraordinary circumstances.
The board already invoked that clause last week when it ruled that all contracts signed by rookies will only kick in once team scrimmages begin.
On when that would be is still up in the air, especially if the government decides not to relax the health restrictions in Metro Manila and nearby areas beyond the April 5 deadline of the current ECQ declaration.
Marcial will be awaiting that next declaration with trepidation.
Of particular interest to Marcial and the PBA is the situation in Rizal, since the league plans to stage the Philippine Cup games in a semi-bubble format at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Rizal was included in the ECQ bubble of the government due to its high number of cases in the province.
"'Yan ang hinihintay natin," Marcial said. "Kasi it will all start with the local government unit hosting the games. Kapag sinabi nilang okay na, then we can proceed."
Until then, Marcial is keeping his fingers crossed.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
