(Anadolu photo)
MANILA – The town of Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay will temporarily host the Mindanao leg of the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup as the league continues to monitor the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) situation in Pagadian.
The league announced on Tuesday night that Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay's provincial capital, has been chosen to take over the hosting chores for the Visayas leg as Pagadian and the entire Zamboanga del Sur have been placed under modified enhanced community quarantine due to rising Covid-19 cases there.
"We are just happy that Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay accepted us without hesitation as we tip off our Mindanao leg," VisMin Cup chief operating officer Rocky Chan said.
Although Zamboanga Sibugay, currently under general community quarantine, cannot hold games yet, according to the joint administrative order issued by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), Philippine Sports Commission, and the Department of Health, GAB eventually gave the VisMin Cup the green light to proceed with holding the matches in Ipil.
"We would like to thank Mayor Anamel Olegario and Governor Wilter Palma for hosting our games and the Games and Amusements Board, headed by Chairman Baham Mitra, for giving us the necessary licenses to resume our league," Chan said.
Chan's group, however, had to grind it out for two days to get the requirements for the Mindanao leg to push through.
In fact, the league only got the clearance by 5 p.m. Tuesday, just in time for a Wednesday tip-off.
The Mindanao leg begins with a Wednesday twin bill at the Ipil Provincial Gym.
Zamboanga del Sur, the supposed bubble host, will take on tournament favorite Basilan in the opener at 1 p.m., while Kapatagan and Iligan collide in the second game at 3 p.m.
The arena will also host the VisMin Cup games for Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and the following Tuesday.
If the Covid-19 situation eases up in Pagadian, the games might be played there the rest of the way since all the participants of the Mindanao leg are billeted there.
In the meantime, the league will impose a closed-circuit traveling format for the Ipil games, that is, the teams will strictly be transported from Pagadian to Ipil and vice versa.
One can reach Ipil from Pagadian or the other way around in three hours. (PNA)
