The PBA has informed its teams that they may possibly resume the Philippine Cup inside another bubble in Pampanga.
NLEX head coach Yeng Guiao confirmed as much in a report by the team’s official website on Wednesday. The league has scrapped its plans to continue games in Batangas due to the lockdown restriction imposed in the province.
Batangas is now under General Community Quarantine with heightened restrictions (GCQ-HR). The league only has permission from the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to play in GCQ and Modified GCQ (MGCQ) areas.
Pampanga is under MGCQ, the second least restrictive lockdown among the four quarantine classifications put up by the authorities.
“We already thought that we are actually proceeding to Pampanga this week, but we were put on hold. I think there are some details that need to be ironed out,” the veteran mentor told arangkadanlex.com.
“Kausap yata nila ‘yung LGUs ng Pampanga and also the IATF. We’re just waiting for instructions from the PBA,” he added.
Guiao and the Road Warriors have previously held practices in Pampanga. And now the team and the rest of the league, from the looks of it, are returning to the province that served as home to them last year.
Pampanga gamely hosted the resumption of the 2020 Philippine Cup in a bubble at the Clark Freeport Zone, with the entire league housed at the Quest Hotel. Games, meanwhile, took place at the AUF Sports and Cultural Center.
Guiao, himself a proud Kapampangan, did not hide his glee with the possibility of returning and playing in his hometown.
“I’m happy because I’m from Pampanga,” said the former vice governor of the province. “We had a successful bubble in Pampanga the first time we did it sa Clark. So okay sa akin yun, natutuwa ako.”
It has been a week already since the league suspended play in accordance with health and safety protocols. Up to now, though, the date for the 46th season’s continuation has yet to be determined.
