Players caught violating PBA implemented health protocols during team workouts face corresponding fines.
League commissioner Willie Marcial said that the PBA board has agreed over the act of penalizing guilty players during their, meeting over the weekend as a way to ensure strict compliance to guidelines under the ‘closed circuit concept.’
As per the model arranged by the league, players will have to strictly observe a daily routine of home-gym-home once teams begin working out by clusters, which is tentatively on July 22.
Otherwise, a violation meant a fine beginning at PHP 5,000 or more.
“Ang players dapat bahay, sasakyan, gym. So dapat huwag kang aalis (sa concept),” said Marcial, gracing the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum webcast on Tuesday.
“Kung lalabas ka at pupunta sa supermarket or drugstore dahil hindi mo naman mai-iwasan, kailangan sabihin mo kasi may daily log kami. Dapat may disiplina talaga.”
First-time offenders will be fined PHP 5,000, with the amount increasing by the number of offense committed.
A different and higher penalty is also imposed on players violating the protocols during individual workouts.
“Kapag ang players naman nag-violate ng protocols sa practice, twenty-thousand (ang fine nila),” Marcial emphasized in the weekly forum presented by San Miguel Beer, Go For Gold, Amelie Hotel, Braska Restaurant, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), and powered by Smart.
“Mas malaki ‘yung fine kapag nilabag mo yung protocols doon sa practices.”
The fine will be doubled with succeeding offenses committed, added the PBA chief.
Even the health officer-in-charge of monitoring the players’ workout isn’t exempted from being penalized.
“Sabi ko sa mga players, mag-sabi kayo sa amin kung may violation ang safety officer ninyo. At kapag nalaman namin at napatunayan na may violation nga, twenty-thousand ‘yun,” Marcial said.
Only four players and a coach or trainer, together with the safety officer, will be allowed inside the training facility once team workouts begin. Training by teams will be done by batches.
Players and others involved in the workouts are required to undergo swab testing at the San Miguel Corp. facilities before they are allowed to participate in the training.
