PBA teams going out of town

MANILA, Philippines — With Metro Manila not yet cleared for scrimmages, PBA teams moved their respective training hubs to Ilocos Norte and Clark, Pampanga up north and Batangas City south of the capital.

The NLEX Road Warriors are setting up a camp in Clark, following the northern route taken by Ilocos Norte-based sister teams Meralco Bolts and TNT Tropang Giga. For the rest, it’s going to be the Batangas Coliseum, Batangas State U Gym and Lyceum-Batangas Gym.

“The PBA has informed us we still cannot practice (in NCR) pending clarification from the DOH/IATF. So we plan to go out of town by Wednesday or Thursday for practice in Clark,” NLEX coach Yeng Guiao said.

The Road Warriors declined to identify the venue they are tapping pending inspection by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB).

NLEX will initially do closed circuit sessions in Clark but may go full bubble camp later on if Metro Manila’s classification isn’t downgraded.

“If we are not allowed to practice in NCR this week, uwian lang (from Clark). (Then) Last week of May, we will stay there for another week,” said Guiao.

The Bolts have been encamped in Laoag City, which is 483 kms from Manila, since Sunday for their 10-day training at the Laoag Centennial Arena. The delegation is following the hotel-venue-hotel routine from their “home” at Fort Ilocandia Hotel during this camp.

The Tropang Giga will follow suit today, using the same Ilocos gym and hotel for their May 19-31 camp.

The ballclubs decided to start their IATF-approved scrimmages out of town given the “general community quarantine with heightened restrictions” status of NCR.