MANILA – The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is waiting for a copy of the approved guidelines for the resumption of basketball team practices at the professional level.
Executive Director Sonny Barrios said on Tuesday that such protocols are needed for the national sports association to map out its next plan of action.
“We cannot really plan concretely what to do without specific guidelines, especially from the authorities,” Barrios said in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.
For one, according to SBP operations director Butch Antonio, seeing the protocols is needed so that Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 can resume its training for next year’s FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
“We will convene the group once magkaroon ng more firm plans (firmer plans surface),” Antonio said.
Mainly for the sake of having Gilas 3×3 train again despite the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, Chooks-To-Go Pilipinas 3×3, the chief backer of the squad, sought help from the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) in submitting its own practice protocols independent from the one the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) submitted.
On Friday, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved the resumption of practices in professional basketball, including that of the Chooks 3×3 league, which according to GAB is seeking to formally become pro.
Barrios added that the SBP wants to see the approved protocols so that it can make a move regarding the situation of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and the National Basketball League (NBL).
While both regional leagues also function on a play-for-pay basis, they are not sanctioned by GAB.
“Gusto naming makita ‘yung official copy. Gusto naming malaman ‘yung coverage (We want to see the official copy. We want to know its coverage),” Barrios further said, adding that the SBP also wants to find out if the protocols set are only specific for the PBA.
The former PBA commissioner bared that the SBP was supposed to make an advisory regarding the resumption of club practices but could not make one due to the vagueness of the approved protocols.
“Hindi namin alam kung ano’ng ilalagay sa advisory (We do not know what to put in the advisory) until we see the copy of the official ruling,” Barrios said.
He encouraged the MPBL and the NBL, as well as the collegiate leagues, to draft their own protocols so that their member teams can resume their practices.
“Maganda ‘yung malaman ng mga authorities na maraming gustong bumalik na sa (It is good that the authorities know that many want to go back to) training, at the very least,” Barrios said.
The Covid-19 pandemic stalled the MPBL playoffs, as well as the first conference of the NBL season.
MPBL commissioner Kenneth Duremdes said he is still keen on finishing this year’s playoffs since only the Game 3s of the division finals and the best-of-five national finals have yet to be played, although he added that the next season would be pushed a year further to the 2021-2022 fiscal calendar.