By JONAS TERRADO
PBA officials, coaches and team managers are set to meet Friday for a chance to exchange notes on how to handle the strict health guidelines that will be implemented for resumption of practices later this month.
Commissioner Willie Marcial and his deputy Eric Castro will preside over the meeting where they’ll discuss in detail the measures that were approved last week by the Inter-Agency Task Force.
The IATF gave the PBA the green light to resume practices under guidelines in which the sessions will be divided into batches composed of five people each under General Community Quarantine and a maximum of 10 if Metro Manila is downgraded to a Modified GCQ.
It is likely that those in attendance will discuss ways on how to avoid breaking the approved protocols, as seen when Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s Japeth Aguilar and Rain or Shine rookie Adrian Wong took part in a five-on-five game prohibited under GCQ.
Aguilar and Wong were later fined P20,000 each and were asked to take a swab test and undergo a 14-day quarantine period.
“This is on us to make sure we’re doing the right thing,” Ginebra coach Tim Cone said in Tuesday’s episode of the Sports Page on TV5. “We can’t really have a wildcard out there doing his own thing.
“If we can prove that we are doing this the right way, prove to the IATF and the (PBA Board of Governors), I think we can progress to a point that we are playing games,” added Cone.
Concerns are expected to be aired, especially with a huge spike of COVID-19 cases over the past weeks.
NLEX mentor Yeng Guiao, however, said the situation should not be a hindrance for the PBA to move forward.
“It’s feasible when we make it feasible,” Guiao said, as quoted by the PBA’s official site. “Dalawa lang ang choice natin, maghintay tayo ng vaccine na di natin alam kung kailan dadating o gumawa tayo ng paraan.”
It will be the second meeting between league officials and members of the PBA family.
Player representatives last June 23 express their commitment to be ready once the PBA sets a date for practices and games to resume.
