Calvin Abueva is slowly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of his long and arduous suspension as he joins his mother team Phoenix in the PBA bubble in Clark, Pampanga.

The PBA finally allowed the embattled forward to enter the bubble after initially barring the Fuel Masters from including Abueva in their 25-man delegation for the season restart.

Phoenix team manager Paolo Bugia confirmed the news first reported by Spin, saying Abueva can also participate in scrimmages.

Bugia, though, said it is still uncertain whether Abueva can play when the stalled Philippine Cup resumes on October 11.

“No official decision yet on actual games,” Bugia said.

Despite this, being in the bubble is a welcome development for Abueva, whose indefinite suspension has dragged on for 16 months now.

Abueva earlier said he had completed the requirements the PBA demanded to lift his ban, which included drug tests and psychological sessions.

Since Abueva got suspended, the Fuel Masters never reached the playoffs again, finishing the last two conferences at 10th and 11th place, respectively. – Rappler.com