MANILA – The Basilan Steel labeled as "unfair" the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League's (MPBL) ruling to forfeit their supposed South Division Finals Game 3 against the Davao Occidental Tigers due to positive coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases.
This, as the vastly improved squad confirmed on Tuesday night that they were going to appeal, especially to league founder Manny Pacquiao, what they think was an "unfair decision."
"(The) Basilan Steel-Jumbo Plastic-Phenom team is greatly disappointed with the decision of the MPBL management committee in default(ing) our Division Finals game against (the) Davao Occidental Tigers. We have long patiently waited for this resumption, which took a year to unfold due to the pandemic," Basilan said in a statement.
The team claimed that the league asked them to concede due to logistical issues.
"We were even given the reason that we have to default because it is very hard for them to get a permit to resume the games and because of the high costs it will take to extend the bubble," the club added.
The Steel also denied the MPBL's claim that they arrived late into the league's bubble in Subic Bay, saying, "We are here in SBMA (Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority) quarantined, who traveled in a single bus from Manila required by their (own) protocol, which means upon entering SBMA and doing the swab test, for us the bubble already started."
The club also called on the league to adhere to what was agreed upon before the start of the bubble.
"We demand that (the) MPBL implement its (own) protocol signed by its medical team that if someone tested positive in the bubble, there would be a postponement of games until the team is ready to play its game," the statement continued, even sharing one crucial clause in the Department of Health circular on non-professional sports bubbles amid the pandemic.
"In the event that an individual is confirmed to be Covid-19-positive, the conduct of the athletic full bubble-type training and competition shall be suspended," the clause read.
The MPBL might need to make a quick decision on Basilan's appeal as the league already scheduled Game 1 of the national finals between Davao Occidental and San Juan at the Subic Bay Gymnasium at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Shift of focus
Following the announcement of Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes earlier in the day that four Steel players have tested positive for Covid-19, the Tigers were handed the South title outright.
However, Tigers coach Don Dulay said they were looking forward to finally taking on the Steel after a week of delay following the disclosure of two Basilan players testing positive.
"We were really preparing for Basilan. Of course, going into the finals, you want to make sure you show everybody you deserve to be there. My players are ready but like again, it’s different times," Dulay said in the CPT Crossover Podcast.
Duremdes on Saturday gave a necessary condition that all other members of the Basilan squad must test negative on Monday for them to be cleared to return to action.
However, upon confirmation of more positive cases, the forfeiture was ruled and Davao Occidental will now have to face San Juan all of a sudden.
Dulay said the Tigers were about to resume their practice when the league officials called them about the forfeiture.
"We’re like, 'Okay, what do we work on? We didn’t get to watch no video of San Juan, we just gotta go by past history,'" he added.
That history, however, came way before the pandemic happened.
Both teams went on a hard-fought full-length finals series in 2019 that was decided by the clutch heroics of Jhonard Clarito in the win-or-go-home Game 5 in Davao City to give San Juan the national title.
"Laking motivation din talaga 'yung natalo kami nung Game 5, especially sa amin 'yun (That Game 5 loss was a huge motivation, especially because it happened at home court)," Davao Occidental player Joseph Terso said when asked how the team approached the start of the ongoing season.
Both teams clashed again in Iloilo City on Jan. 18, 2020, with the Knights prevailing anew, 84-65.
If everything pushes through as planned, Davao Occidental gets a chance to get back at San Juan on Wednesday.
The MPBL, however, might look into Basilan's appeal as well. (PNA)
