MPBL opener faces delay

MANILA, Philippines — The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League may not be able to push through with its targeted opening date on June 12 for the Chooks-to-Go MPBL Mumbaki Cup.

Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes said it’s a long shot for the league to resume on Independence Day, which has been its traditional opening day for the Datu and Lakan Cups, given the tight community quarantine restrictions still in effect.

“There are still hopes to start on June 12 but in my own opinion, we may not make it in time to open on that date,” Duremdes said in yesterday’s online PSA Forum, noting that the league hasn’t received the green light to start practices due to a number of challenges.

For the MPBL to resume play or even begin training, it must gain clearances from the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and the local government units (LGUs), which may take a while given the strict requirements, guidelines and protocols needed.