The PBA hopes to bank on the success of its scrimmages in a bid to finally open its stalled 46th season by June.

PBA teams are now allowed to hold scrimmages in areas under general community quarantine and modified general community quarantine following the approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force.

“It is important for us for the scrimmages to be spotless and that there are no positive cases,” PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said in Filipino.

“If there are positive cases, I hope there are only one or two.”

“We need to show that our scrimmages are successful so that we will be allowed to play official games,” Marcial added.

The PBA is eyeing Batangas City as a practice site, with the capital offering 3 venues – Batangas City Coliseum, Batangas State University Gym, and Lyceum Batangas – as potential scrimmage locations.

Marcial said teams can start training the earliest on May 18.

“We inspected the courts and they passed our standards just in case we start practicing there,” Marcial said.

The PBA is also waiting for the change in quarantine classification in Metro Manila and Antipolo, which are under modified enhanced community quarantine until May 14.

Prior to striking a deal with Batangas City, the league sought to train and stage its season in Metro Manila and Antipolo.

“We’re preparing all options for our practices,” Marcial said. – Rappler.com