PBA Gets IATF Clearance For Clark Bubble

On Thursday, the PBA received interim approval from the Interagency Task Force to proceed with the planned restart of the season on October 11 under a bubble configuration in Clark, Pampanga.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial and President Ricky Vargas made the announcement at a hastily convened online press conference, which was joined by Base Development and Conversion Authority CEO Vince Dizon and the director of Clark Development Corporation, Noel Manankil.

Based on approval, teams will also be able to take 5v5 scrimmages once they enter the Clark bubble that includes the Quest Hotel and the Angeles University Foundation campus.

“We are happy and ready. The players are ready and I suppose that now it is all in the hands of our commissioner to see this executed perfectly ”, said Vargas.

Dizon clarified that the provisional approval is aimed at amendments in the Joint Administrative Order of Games and Amusements, the Philippine Sports Commission and the Department of Health.

The Deputy Implementing Director of the National COVID-19 Task Force, who introduced the PBA bubble to IATF officials, said stricter guidelines will be observed at Clark compared to JAOs.

“PBA’s protocols are stricter than JAO’s, so they need to be changed,” said Dizon. “But since it’s stricter in the PBA and safer and stricter, then the PBA has the authority to start.”

The approval came as the teams underwent swab tests on Wednesday and Thursday as part of the pre-bubble requirements.

Players, coaches and staff must also undergo a strict five-day home quarantine prior to entering the bubble on September 28 and 29.

They will all be retested and observe a 24-hour quarantine period inside their hotel rooms at Clark before they can begin playing games, provided they receive negative results.