PBA eyes April 18 Philippine Cup start at Ynares

IF everything goes well, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) looks to stage its games at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City, Rizal, with the Philippine Cup starting on April 18.

“Yes, hopefully, (we can stage the games at Ynares and start on April 18) if everything goes well,” PBA commissioner Willie Marcial confirmed to The Manila Times.

The PBA’s initial plan is to hold the games in the National Capital Region (NCR), with the Araneta Coliseum, Mall of Asia Arena, and the Cuneta Astrodome eyed as venues for the supposed April 11 start.

But with the region still logging the most in the country’s daily total coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases, and leagues still barred to be staged in the Metro which is under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ), the PBA now sets its sights in Antipolo and play the games at the Ynares Center.

Ynares is one of the regular PBA venues, and was also being used by the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) for its basketball games in 2018 and 2019.

Antipolo is currently under the Modified General Community Quarantine — the most loose classification of community lockdown.

Upon checking, Antipolo is logging 15 to 30 Covid cases a day over the last seven days.