By JONAS TERRADO
The PBA plans to have five playdates a week for the resumption of the Philippine Cup as early as next week in Pampanga.
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said games will be held every Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with Mondays reserved for RT-PCR testing of every team.
He added that teams will also undergo antigen testing on the day of their games as part of stricter protocols being implemented by the league.
“Kung wala tayong problema at dire-diretso ang elimination, matatapos tayo ng Sept. 19. Sana wala,” Marcial said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ Sports Desk.
Marcial and the league are hoping to restart the conference to early-September after being granted approval by Pampanga governor Dennis Pineda the other day in Bacolor.
A gymnasium inside Don Honorio Ventura State University is being eyed as venue, but that won’t be made official until school officials approve the PBA’s request.
DHVSU officials led by president Enrique Baking are scheduled to discuss the request Wednesday, Aug. 25 according to Marcial in the same program.
The PBA was halted after the Aug. 1 doubleheader at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City due to the implementation of Enhanced Community Quarantine regulations in Metro Manila, prompting the league to find another venue for the season.
PARKS JOINS JAPAN LEAGUE
Meantime, Ray Parks Jr. officially became the latest Filipino cager to take his talents to Japan after signing with the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins of the B.League.
The Dolphins announced the deal Tuesday, Aug. 24 as Parks joins a growing list of Filipinos who have opted to accept the lucrative challenge of succeeding in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Parks’ move came more than a month after a contract dispute with TNT Tropang Giga ended when the PBA team granted his release.
