Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20) – The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) management and the Pampanga provincial government agreed verbally to resume the Philippine Cup in the province north of Metro Manila, a league official said on Friday.
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial revealed the development, but the resumption of play is pending approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases through a request letter written by Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda.
Marcial said the league is eyeing a possible restart of the Philippine Cup in the first week of September in Bacolor town or Angeles City, which hosted the 2020 Philippine Cup bubble.
The league will implement a closed-circuit format, where team members and production staff are allowed to stay in hotels or resorts within the province.
Marcial also announced on Saturday that teams can start their practice on August 24 in three venues: Angeles University Foundation in Angeles City, Beverly Place in Mexico town, and Colegio de San Sebastian in San Fernando City.
On August 3, the PBA announced the suspension of games when Metro Manila was placed under hard lockdown. The conference’s first two weeks were played behind closed doors at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The league is supposed to resume play in Lipa City, Batangas but the province south of Metro Manila was placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions, where physical activities are not permitted.
Pampanga is under the lowest modified GCQ until August 31.
The Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots lead the team standings with a 4-0 slate, while the TNT Tropang Giga is a game behind with a 3-0 record.
