The recent PBA bubble received a high rating approval from no less than the Deputy Chief Implementer of the National Action Plan Against COVID-19.
Bases Conversion Development Authority president Vince Dizon said the league deserves more than just a passing grade after it managed to traverse its 45th season with the successful staging of the Philippine Cup at Clark, Pampanga.
Barangay Ginebra won the championship after beating TNT Tropang Giga in five games of the finals.
“Conservatively, siguro nasa mga 90 percent ang aking rating,” he said Tuesday when asked in the Philippine Sportswriters Association webcast Forum on how he would rate the bubble conference on a scale of 1 to 100. “Ang pinaka-importante ay walang nagkasakit.”
There were challenges met along the way, but Asia’s first play-for-league survived the test and got the job done in what was the most trying time in its long, rich history.
That wouldn’t be possible without the cooperation and help of the PBA hierarchy led by commissioner Willie Marcial, who joined Dizon in the online session presented by San Miguel Corp., Go For Gold, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
“‘Yung PBA bubble ay hindi magiging successful kung hindi dahil sa tulong at kooperasyon ng PBA leadership sa pamumuno ni Commissioner Willie,” said Dizon, also president and CEO of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, while not failing to mention as well the help extended by the PBA owners, members of the Board, commissioner’s staff, players, coaches, and other team personnel.
“Napakaganda ng samahan na nangyari noong PBA bubble dala na rin ng objective natin na siguraduhin na maging healthy and safe yung bubble.”
Marcial added self discipline in strictly following the health protocols and seeking the advice of medical experts and government officials like Dizon, helped the league get through its only conference for the season.
“Sundin lang nila ‘yung mga nilatag na protocols, palagay ko hindi na kayo magkakamali kasi nagawa namin,” he said in the same forum presented by Smart and Upstream Media as webcast partner.
The PBA chief there’s still no concrete plan yet whether the league will undergo another bubble season or shift to the more moderate closed-circuit system where teams and players all have the same house-gym-house routine during the course of the conference.
Dizon, who is also OIC-chairman of the Clark Development Corp., agreed with Marcial that it’s still too early to tell if the league needs to go through a bubble set-up again, considering the time frame between now and the projected opening of Season 46 in early April.
But granting it does, Clark is more than willing to help the league again.
“Ang mako-commit namin sa IATF, regardless of bubble, semi-bubble, may audience o walang audience, gagawin namin lahat at sa NTF (National Task Force against COVID-19) para suportahan ang PBA na matuloy ang 46th season,” said Dizon.