MANILA – The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the Philippines Football League (PFL) can finally resume their practice later this week, Games and Amusements Board (GAB) chairman Abraham Mitra said.
Mitra said that the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) of GAB, the Philippine Sports Commission, and the Department of Health has been signed and released yesterday afternoon.
The JAO is the document that the PBA and PFL are waiting for to give an official green light to their teams to go back to training, under strict protocols to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“We are so happy and excited that finally, after more than four months, our professional football and basketball players can now shake off some pounds they may have acquired during the quarantine,” Mitra said in a statement.
“We expect them to practice maybe for a month or two to be match fit and hopefully when quarantine levels go down, they may be allowed to eventually play. It is effective immediately,” he added.
The Inter-Agency Task Force had approved the protocols submitted by the PBA and the PFF on July 3, but the release of the JAO took some time as there were long discussions regarding the accountability of the leagues when it comes to following the protocols they had set.
“Who will allow them, who will police them, who will inspect before they practice, and who will be with them while they are practicing and make sure that the safety protocols are followed,” he said.
Mitra added, “There has to be a government agency that will be making sure that the minimum health requirements are followed.”/PN
