PBA Bubble: Take a look at where your PBA stars will stay starting September 26

Clark Freeport – Home of the Brave

Assuming the Interagency Task Force does not object, an entourage of 350 men from the Philippine Basketball Association, from members of the 12 ball clubs, league officials, technical and medical personnel to a television team and a handful of sports journalists, will travel by caravan. bus to Clark Freeport in Mabalacat, Pampanga – 1 hour, 44 minutes from Manila – on September 26 and remain locked in there for the next two months or so in an attempt to recreate an NBA-like bubble with the goal of completing a 45th conference . season from October 9.

Home to the brave for up to 10 weeks will be the Quest Hotel at the Mimosa Plus Leisure Estate within Clark Freeport. The farm is a luxurious 4-star business and tourist destination 7 minutes from Clark International Airport that has, among many amenities, a 36-hole golf course, swimming pool, restaurant and conference center.

The PBA delegation will have the entire hotel, with single and double rooms, at their exclusive disposal for the duration of the Philippine Cup.

From there, 17 minutes via the Manuel A. Roxas Highway, is the Cultural and Sports Center of the University of Angeles Foundation, which hosted the wrestling events during the 30 Southeast Asian Games last year and which it will be the main venue for the PBA full contact games when they restart next month.

The AUF welcomed NBA star Jordan Clarkson five years ago when he connected with relatives of his Filipino mother in Angeles, and the home of the Great Danes will be disinfected to high medical standards before, during and after the bubble conference.

Inside Clark, St. Paul American School will make its hardwood playing court available as a practice facility for PBA teams, which will reportedly play double games daily.

Clark received the go-ahead last Thursday after PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial and team governors led by TNT KaTropa League President Ricky Vargas and Terra Firma Vice President Bobby Rosales (Columbian Dyip) meet to finalize plans for the season reboot.

“We looked at all those who were interested in hosting the PBA, and we thought that it was the one with the most complete offer from the point of view of security, particularly from the protocol, from the control, the proximity to the hospitals and our ability to take care of the mental health of our players during the bubble, ”Vargas said at a Zoom press conference.

Vargas said the league had been working closely with Base Development and Conversion Authority director Vince Dizon and Clark Development Corporation president and CEO Noel Manankil regarding arrangements for the planned bubble. .

The only obstacle now is for the PBA to obtain approval from the Interagency Task Force, which has only allowed professional leagues to conduct training sessions under strict health measures.

“Once we get approval from the IATF, we are ready to go,” Vargas said.

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The plan is for teams to enter the bubble on September 27 for a 15-day game followed by the restart of the season, which is expected to last until the second week of December.

Marcial said a doubleheader will be held seven times a week under a tight schedule.

COVID-19 testing based on Department of Health protocols will be observed, while everyone inside will not be allowed to exit the bubble during the season.

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Meanwhile, Dizon welcomed the PBA’s decision to keep its bubble inside Clark.

During Friday’s Malacanang press conference in Baguio city, Dizon said that the planned bubble could serve as a model for the country to recover under the so-called “new normal.”

“I think the PBA bubble is an expanded symbol as we move towards the new normal, because we know it is the greatest pastime of our compatriots and basketball,” he said.

Manankil said the bubble tournament is a welcome event as it would help shake up the local economy once again, particularly the hotel industry.

Clark has been a favorite destination for numerous sports-related activities and has been recognized by the Philippine Sports Tourism Awards (PSTA) as the “Sports Destination of the Year” for 2015 and 2018.

It has also hosted several international and local events, including Rugby 7, archery, baseball, and dance sports at the 2019 SEA Games. (With reports from Jonas Terrado)