Games and Amusements Board (GAB) Chairperson Abraham Mitra is elated over the developments in the Premiere Volleyball League (PVL).
After the PVL decided to transform into a professional league, big teams including F2 Logistics Cargo Movers, Sta. Lucia Realtors, Chery Tiggo Crossovers, PLDT Home Fibr Hitters, and Cignal HD Spikers were convinced to leave their old league and transfer to the professional league.
Mitra also says it is good to see how the teams themselves are seriously considering whether or not to start the league’s new season.
“Almost all the other teams from the other league transferred to PVL. It’s also the first time in the history of Philippine Volleyball,” he said.
“Ang ganda nga ng patakbo ng PVL kasi [It is great how the PVL is being managed because] it’s not the league that is dictating. It’s the team owners in close coordination with GAB and Ricky Palou. Parang ‘pare, huwag muna ngayon, need pa namin mag-practice’ [It’s like, ‘man, let’s not do it, we still need to practice]. More than a year ‘di naglaro ang mga bata tapos tournament agad. Hindi puwede [It has been more than a year since the kids played, you can’t have a tournament right away. This cannot be],” Mitra said.
Mitra also convinced team owners, not just the PVL and other professional leagues, to purchase their own COVID-19 vaccines.
“We follow kasi the DOH (Department of Health) always. Parang hindi priority ang testing sa doon sa mga asymptomatic, kasi kaunti lang ‘yong mga testing centers. Ganoon na rin ang stand namin sa bakuna. Unahin ‘yong frontliners, senior citizens [It seems that testing the asymptomatic (individuals) is not a priority, due to the limited number of testing centers. That is our stand on vaccines as well. Frontliners, senior citizens should go first]. But we are encouraging the teams,” Mitra explained.
This week, GAB will be discussing the next step for the professional leagues. -Report by Mae Ann Fajardo/JBB
