MANILA, Philippines – Rain or Shine won’t have Beau Belga on its side as it tries to beat the odds and make the quarterfinals of the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup.

The versatile forward will be sidelined for two weeks due to a plantar fasciitis on his left foot – meaning he will miss the Elasto Painters’ last 3 games in the season-ending conference. 

“Pahinga muna ng two weeks tapos hopefully kapag nakapasok kami ng playoffs, pwede na ulit,” Belga told reporters after watching his team absorb an 82-91 loss to Meralco on Sunday, October 21. 

(I will rest for two weeks and if we reach the playoffs, I think I can probably play.) 

“Medyo kailangan pahilumin ‘yung sugat so therapy muna for the next two weeks tapos back to normal.” 

(The injury needs to heal so I need to undergo therapy for two weeks before I go back to normal.) 

Belga was a steady force for Rain or Shine in back-to-back wins against Barangay Ginebra and NorthPort before he went down with the foot injury early in a 84-100 drubbing from Columbian on Friday, October 19. 

Already playing without star center Raymond Almazan, the Elasto Painters badly missed the services of Belga as they succumbed to the Bolts for their second straight loss. 

The defeat marked Rain or Shine’s sixth in 8 games and it slipped to 10th place – a far cry from its No. 1 ranking in the Commissioner’s Cup a few months ago. 

“Kung kailan wala si Raymond, kailangan ka ng team, na-injury pa. Pero wala kang magagawa e,” Belga said. “Hindi mo inaaasahan ‘yung injury na darating that time so no regrets at all.”

(Just when Raymond is gone and I am needed by the team, that’s when I suffer an injury. But you can’t do anything about it. I didn’t expect the injury so no regrets at all.) 

In order to give themselves a chance of making the playoffs, the Elasto Painters need to win their remaining matches starting against Phoenix on Wednesday, October 24, at the Cuneta Astrodome. – Rappler.com