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Ricky Vargas, president of the PBA board of directors. PBA PICTURES
MANILA, Philippines – Victorico “Ricky” Vargas shed more light on the Philippine Basketball Association’s ambitious plan to revive a season that has been stalled for nearly seven months by the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’ll tell you, it’s about P65 million what it will cost us,” the league president told Noli Eala on an episode of “Power & Play” on Saturday morning.
Most of the expenses will come from the delegates’ lodging and meals, according to Vargas, who, along with Commissioner Willie Marcial, politely declined to provide a ballpark figure for the compressed Philippine Cup to be held at various sites in the area. Clark Freeport.
The tournament will feature daily doubles in the school gym of the Angeles University Foundation, a facility located in a residential area, and is 20 minutes from the Quest Hotel, designated rooms.
The soft-spoken executive also revealed five key factors that aided in the decision of the Board of Governors. The search for the PBA reboot site originally had 20 candidates.
“First, security. Do they have enough space for us to ensure our safety? [Second], medical facilities, and if there are strict entry and exit protocols, ”said Vargas.
“Number three was the cost … Then the facilities … for the welfare (of the delegates). And the fifth was communication. There has to be connectivity because the games will be broadcast, ”he added.
Both Vargas and Marcial praised Vince Dizon and Noel Manankil for playing key roles in the negotiation.
Dizon, president and CEO of the Database Development and Conversion Authority, is also the national government’s deputy director of implementation for the country’s coronavirus response. He is also one of the administration’s “test czars”.
The fee “could have been more than” P65 million, according to Vargas, adding that the league received many discounts, especially at the venues.
“Even the trials are now free,” he added.
Three hundred and fifty delegates, 25 of whom will come from the league’s 12-member teams, and the rest of the league staff and members of the press, will go through antigen testing before entering Clark’s bubble.
Although Vargas acknowledged that he has information regarding the details of the screening that will be handled by a team led by Dr. Raúl Canlas, a renowned surgeon.
“It is still consolidating with science. I can’t tell you exactly what it is like: the security measures, ”said the president.
In the event that a delegate contracts the virus, the PBA’s intent is to remove that player from the bubble to quarantine and receive treatment as the competition progresses.
Vargas in response to the Inquirer during Thursday’s virtual press, said he is confident that the plan will be approved by the Interagency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Clark’s proposal was formally sent to the task force on Friday, according to Vargas.
The PBA requested permission to mount 5v5 scrimmages on September 7, which has yet to be decided.
Several questions remain unanswered about Clark’s setup, including practice locations for idle equipment, frequency of testing, and whether personnel in industries that will service the restart would also enjoy the same benefits.
Marcial said an advance team will carry out inspections on Monday before the IATF decision to be known around “Thursday or Friday.”
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