Season on the brink

Clock ticking on PBA resumption This is way bigger than basketball and the PBA

With their self-imposed deadline fast approaching and training yet to start, Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner Willie Marcial floated the possibility of calling off the entire 45th season.

Marcial said they are closely monitoring the situation, but so far, things are not looking good as coronavirus continues to hammer the country with more than 70,000 cases recorded as of Wednesday morning.

The PBA’s road to resumption had been rocky.

Despite scoring a small victory after getting a green light from the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on the resumption of training two weeks ago, teams have yet to start their workouts and conditioning as the Games and Amusement Board, Department of Health and Philippine Sports Commission have yet to issue a joint administrative order (JAO).

The PBA chief said there’s a pressing need for them to wait for the JAO as it contains the implementing guidelines and protocols for their return to practice.

Without a signed JAO, teams are still barred from holding practices and Marcial warned violators of hefty fines, similar to what he imposed on Adrian Wong of Rain or Shine and Japeth Aguilar of Barangay Ginebra as well as the Blackwater Elite.

Supposedly, the JAO is is set to be released this week, but the league has yet to receive word from the government.

If everything goes well, we can finally decide, but if the government is really having a hard time, then we don’t have a choice but to cancel the season.

Marcial, in a statement made in June, said they would wait until August before deciding the fate of the 45th season, which was halted after a glittery opening ceremony featuring a lone game between San Miguel Beer and Magnolia on 12 March.

Aside from the JAO, some of the teams have also yet to undergo swab testing, a crucial requirement that would lead to the resumption of the season.

But now that their deadline is fast approaching, Marcial is doubtful whether the season will still resume.

“Maybe,” Marcial said when asked whether or not the August deadline will still take effect. “We will really depend everything on the situation. If everything goes well, we can finally decide, but if the government is really having a hard time, then we don’t have a choice but to cancel the season.”

Marcial said their fate is no longer on their hands.

The most they can do is to wait for the JAO and hope that there will be no setback in training and condition sessions of all 12 teams.

“We don’t know yet what will happen because, for one, the JAO is not yet on our hands. Let’s see if we can decide by August,” Marcial said.

“I really hope we can decide as early as possible if we would still continue the season or not.” Still, Marcial is hoping that the pandemic will slow down and everything will normalize. If that happens, they would meet in August and push their deadline to September.

“We are monitoring the situation and we always prioritize the health of all stakeholders,” he said. “This is way bigger than basketball and the PBA.”