BRINGING back the fans and safeguarding the health of everyone are top priorities in the import-laden second conference of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), league chairman Ricky Vargas said on Thursday.
“I hope we can invite our fans in [for the second conference],” said Vargas, TNT Tropang Giga’s governor in the PBA board. “My wish is that there will come a time when we can allow the fans to come and watch the games.
“Also my priority is to deliver the games and safeguard the players,” he said.
Vargas also thanked Senate Sports Committee Chairman Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go for supporting the PBA’s request to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to hold the games in Metro Manila if the protocols allow.
The PBA could hold games in Metro Manila once quarantines are lowered to Alert Level 2 with the fans allowed to watch live in arenas or stadiums at 50 percent capacity.
“There’s already a model in the NBA [National Basketball Association], the fans are back,” Vargas said. “But what is important is to follow all health and safety protocols or guidelines of the IATF and DOH [Department of Health].”
The PBA board, Vargas said, are faced with several options.
“We will discuss the potential venue in our board meeting tomorrow [Friday],” he said. “We must have scenarios for Alert Level 2 or 3 or even 4—that’s why we cannot set aside or remove yet the bubble in our planning.”
The PBA successfully held its first bubble October last year in Clark. The league opened its 46th season last July at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City but was forced to transfer the games to Bacolor, Pampanga, last September because of a surge in virus infections in Metro Manila.
Vargas also thanked the Department of Foreign Affairs for granting working visas to all 12 imports for the upcoming conference.
The second conference would run from November until February, Vargas said.