MVP teams hold bubble training camp up north

TNT Tropang Giga and Meralco—teams under the Manuel V. Pangilinan umbrella—will set up training camp up north in Laoag City starting next week. Phoenix, San Miguel Beer, Rain or Shine, Blackwater and Terrafirma, on the other hand, will head to Batangas City for face-to-face training if the general community quarantine in Metro Manila is not relaxed this weekend. Laoag City and Ilocos Norte, as well as Batangas are under modified community quarantine where sports—including basketball scrimmages—are allowed under minimum health and safety protocols.

Katropa governor Ricky Vargas said the players need to be game-ready as the Philippine Basketball Association looks at a potential June opening for its 46th season.

Meralco team manager Paolo Trillo said the Bolts will travel to Ilocos Norte on Saturday and stay there for 10 days. They will train at the Centennial Arena in Laoag City. “But if Metro Manila will return to GCQ, we will cancel our trip,” Trillo told Businessmirror on Wednesday.

NLEX Assistant Coach Jojo Lastimosa, however, said they are choosing between Ilocos Norte or Angeles City (Angeles University Foundation) for their training camp.

Three facilities in Batangas City—batangas Coliseum, Batangas State University and Lyceumbatangas—meet the league’s standards for training venues.

Magnolia, Alaska, Ginebra and Northport are also planning to set up camp in Batangas. PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial, meanwhile, said that the league is coordinating with Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham Tolentino on the acquisition of anti-covid-19 vaccines.