By JONAS TERRADO
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel star Japeth Aguilar and Rain or Shine rookie Adrian Wong were fined P20,000 each and told to undergo swab testing after taking part in a five-on-five game prohibited under General Community Quarantine regulations.
Aguilar and Wong were penalized after Monday’s meeting PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial, deputy commissioner Eric Castro and legal counsel Melvin Mendoza to explain their participation in the said tune-up game that was seen in a now-deleted Instagram story.
The PBA said in its website that Aguilar and Wong were “apologetic for their actions” when they met Marcial.
Both were told to take a swab test no later than Tuesday, undergo a 14-day quarantine before doing another swabbing for a confirmatory test.
They will also have to do 30 hours of community service, the league also said.
Aguilar and Wong were also scheduled at presstime to talk with officials from the Games and Amusements Board, namely Commissioner Eduardo Trinidad, pro basketball and pro-games division chief Dioscoro Bautista and official Rodil Manaog.
It’s still unknown if GAB will slap an additional sanction on the two cagers.
Marcial had already spared Isaac Go, who was also seen in the video, after calling the Columbian Dyip draft pick several days ago to remind him of the practicing health guidelines. Go is currently on loan to the Gilas Pilipinas program.
The three players, along with Japan-bound Thirdy Ravena, were seen playing a pick-up game at the Ronac gym in San Juan City, which violates GCQ guidelines.
Pick-up basketball games are banned under GCO, which only limits non-contact sports like running, biking, golf, swimming, tennis, badminton, equestrian and skateboarding.
The Inter-Agency Task Force recently gave the PBA a go-signal to resume practices under strict health measures such as limiting sessions to batches of four players, a trainer and safety officer each.
