TIGHTER measures are expected in Clark as it was chosen to host another major sports event, following the announcement of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) to hold here the third and last window of the Asia Cup qualifiers next year.
“This is such a great privilege not only for Clark but for the entire country to host one of the qualifiers for Fiba and we want to assure everybody that we will ensure the safety and health of everyone in the bubble. That is the first and most important objective that we have. And building on the success of the PBA bubble, gagawin pa nating mas istrikto at mas safe itong upcoming bubble na ito,” Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Vince Dizon said during the virtual press conference on Saturday, December 19, 2020.
Dizon is also the deputy chief implementer of the National Action Plan Against Covid-19 and currently serves as the officer-in-charge for the chairmanship of the Clark Development Corporation (CDC).
Also present during the media briefing are PBA Commissioner Congressman Willie Marcial, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio, PBA Deputy Commissioner Eric Castro, SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios, Deputy Executive Director Butch Antonio, and CDC Officer-In-Charge-President and CEO Engineer Mariza Mandocdoc.
Dizon cited some of the strict protocols implemented during the PBA bubble, which will be heightened for the Fiba qualifiers next year. These include regular testing of the players and other members of the delegation upon entering the bubble and during the games, and the mandatory isolation while waiting for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results.
“We will follow the standard testing and isolation protocols for all arriving passengers from abroad. If they turn out positive, then they need to go through the mandatory quarantine period, and only after they are cleared will they be allowed to be released,” Dizon said.
Apart from these, the PBA bubble protocols include regular sanitation of all facilities, delivery of packed meals to the hotel rooms, and use of the StaySafe.ph application for easier and a more efficient contact tracing.
Both the PBA and SBP thanked the BCDA and CDC for the measures set in place in hosting a safe bubble.
“Hindi po nagkamali ang PBA na maging partner at pinili ang Clark sa bubble. Kasi ‘yung expertise po ni Secretary Vince at ‘yung team niya...ang Quest Hotel, ang Angeles University Foundation, na ginawa po nila ang lahat para matuloy ang bubble na ito. Muli po, nagpapasalamat po kami for making the PBA bubble a success,” Marcial said.
Panlilio assured that though Fiba will set its own guidelines for the qualifiers, the organization will ensure that it will be closely linked with existing protocols of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
“What interested Fiba to take a look into this as a bubble is our success in the PBA bubble because we really followed the IATF guidelines, and Fiba has its own