No cut in PBA salaries

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the indefinite suspension of play and scrimmages, the PBA isn’t implementing a salary cut like it did last year when action came to a screeching halt.

“As of now, tuloy-tuloy ang pasahod nang buo,” PBA commissioner Willie Marcial told The STAR yesterday.

“Malaking sakripisyo ito sa mga team owners kaya humingi ako ng pasensya sa kanila. Sana within three or four weeks, gumanda ang sitwasyon at makabalik na tayo,” he added.

For now, the most PBA squads may do is conduct non-scrimmage workouts for groups of seven per session under strict health and safety protocols.

The pro league had previously imposed a 20 percent pay cut on players, coaches, assistant coaches, team managers and league employees in April 2021 with the Season 46 kickoff still uncertain due to high COVID-19 cases then.

The PBA lifted the cut when the teams got the green light to conduct full-contact training the following month in various facilities in Batangas.

Like everyone else, the PBA is presently taking a wait-and-see approach regarding the Governors’ Cup resumption. Amid the surge, there’s a chance that Metro Manila may even be upgraded to the stricter Alert Level 4 classification after the Jan. 15 original period of the current Alert Level 3 status.

“Crucial ang February,” Marcial said in The Chasedown on Cignal TV. “Kung ano’ng mangyayari sa February, dun tayo magde-desisyon kung ano’ng dapat gawin. Kaya na ba natin mag-bubble? Safe na ba kahit anong klaseng bubble? Tingnan natin.”