Rain or Shine will miss the services of veteran guard James Yap for the upcoming PBA Governors’ Cup.

Yap confirmed he is taking a leave of absence for the second conference as he gears up for the campaign season, with the two-time PBA MVP running for councilor in the first district of San Juan City.

“Ako ay taos pusong nagpapasalamat sa aking ROS family – sa owners, management, coaches, teammates at iba ko pang mga kasamahan sa kanila – sa PBA, at sa board of governors sa paghintulot sa aking temporary leave of absence sa darating na conference,” Yap wrote on Instagram.

(I thank my ROS family – the owners, management, coaches, teammates, and others – the PBA, and the board of governors for allowing me to take a temporary leave of absence in the next conference.)

Yap saw action for seven games for the Elasto Painters in the recently concluded Philippine Cup, where he averaged 7.9 points and 2 rebounds.

Rain or Shine reached the playoffs but suffered a quarterfinals exit at the hands of eventual finalist Magnolia.

Less than a week after leaving the PBA bubble in Bacolor, Pampanga, the 39-year-old filed his certificate of candidacy.

Yap is running under the ticket of reelectionist Mayor Francis Zamora, a former basketball player, together with former PBA teammates Paul Artadi and Don Allado, who are also seeking council posts.

“Samahan niyo po ako sa aking pagtahak ng bagong daan para maka-contribute [sa] bagong paraan ng pagtulong at pagsilbi sa aking mga kababayan sa unang distrito ng San Juan.”

(Join me in my quest to contribute in a new way of helping and serving my constituents in the first district of San Juan.)

The Governors’ Cup, which will see the return of imports to the PBA, will kick off later in November. – Rappler.com