PBA summons Aguilar, Wong, Go for playing in 5-on-5 practice

The PBA Commissioner’s Office is set to summon some of its players amid concerns that they took part in a 5-on-5 game, which is in violation of the general community quarantine (GCQ) guidelines enforced by the Inter-Agency Task Force against Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

The Inquirer reported on Tuesday that Commissioner Willie Marcial is set to talk to Barangay Ginebra star Japeth Aguilar, Rain or Shine rookie Adrian Wong, and Columbian’s Isaac Go, as they were caught participating in a basketball game in Ronac Gym through videos that surfaced on Instagram.

Wong, the Elasto Painters’ fifth pick in the PBA regular draft last year, wasn’t seen in the videos but he appeared in group photos with other players — one of which includes University of the Philippines’ Kobe Paras — not practicing social distancing.

Photo from True Focus

Aside from the aforementioned players, also identified in the video was Thirdy Ravena, who recently made headlines as he signed with San-en NeoPhoenix to become the first Filipino player to play in the Japan B.League.

Team sports are not allowed under GCQ guidelines, although the league has already submitted a proposal to the IATF as it bids to at least return to practices guided of course by strict health protocols. No decision has been made yet, but the PBA is upbeat of its comeback chances.

As for the players, this is a difficult situation, since the government has been strict in implementing the guidelines as the country’s battle against the dreaded novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues.