Restarting PH sports safely in Clark Bubble

The deadly coronavirus pandemic quite literally stopped the world, keeping people in their homes, suspending travel, and hurting our economies. It also forced postponements and cancellations of major sporting events, including the Tokyo Olympics. In the Philippines, two much-awaited schedules supposed to be held in New Clark City in 2020 were affected: the ASEAN Para Games and the Asian Swimming Championships.

Hoping to bring a sense of normalcy amid the overwhelming feeling of fear and chaos, Clark hosted the first sports bubble in Asia— the 45th season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)—in late 2020. Taking a cue from the successful Disney Bubble of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Clark gave our professional basketball players the best COVID defense by isolating them in a restricted environment for two months, allowing them to play without having to worry about their health and safety.

For Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Vince Dizon, the concurrent deputy chief implementer of the National Action Plan (NAP) Against COVID-19 and chief testing czar, hosting the bubble was beyond just resuming professional basketball.

“The bubble is important in building confidence in slowly opening our economy,” said Dizon. “This concept shows that as long as we do it safely, we will slowly but surely get some semblance of normalcy amid the challenges that we face.”

Why Clark? It was NLEX Coach Yeng Guiao, foIt was NLEX Coach Yeng Guiao, former vice governor and congressman of Pampanga, who first proposed the idea of holding the PBA bubble in Clark. After hearing about it in the news, Dizon and the Clark Development Corporation (CDC), led by Noel Manankil, approached the PBA Board to pitch why it made sense to hold the

PBA’s 45th season in Clark. Manankil was the president and CEO of CDC at the time.

According to PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial, more than 20 groups proposed different locations. Of the total, three were shortlisted: Clark in Pampanga, El Nido in Palawan and the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.

Dizon and Manankil presented options for game and practice venues, hotels, recreational areas for outdoor activities, and, more importantly, in cases of COVID suspects, Clark’s medical facilities, including hospitals, quarantine facilities, and its own molecular laboratory built in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross.

“Doon sa 20, iba-iba ang plano nila. Pero dito [sa Clark], maraming gagawin ang mga players. Pangalawa, mayroon silang sariling laboratory at nandoon ang mga hospitals,” Marcial said.

The 350-member PBA delegation composed of players, coaches and other team staff stayed at the Quest Plus Conference Center, located within the 200-hectare Mimosa Leisure Estate. “The ability of Clark to contain a specific area like Mimosa, I think, spelled the difference in the decision of PBA,” said Dizon.

After securing a provisional authority from the national government’s COVID-19 task force or the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF- EID), it was all systems go.

More than opening the PBA safely, Manankil said that the sports bubble will help in reviving the tourism sector in Clark: “We all know that the most affected sector is really tourism, so this is a first step into trying to help the tourism locators, especially in Clark, going towards a new normal for everybody.”

Manankil added, “This will be a testament to the resiliency of Clark in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Inside the bubble Clark observed strict health measures and

protocols, including disinfection, regular testing, contact tracing, and isolation to ensure that the bubble remains intact throughout the season. All delegates were swabbed days before entering the bubble, and again upon check-in. They underwent triage upon entry, and were also required to use the StaySafe.PH contact tracing application so that their movements within the bubble were monitored. The application could also make contact tracing easier if someone tested positive for COVID.

“The rules and the protocols are set to be followed for a reason,” NLEX Road Warriors player Kiefer Ravena said. “You want to make sure that everybody, even their staff maintains proper hygiene, social distancing with face shield, face mask. Ito ’yong bagay

na ayaw mong maging careless kasi isang mali, baka matigil lahat. Mabuting nang safe para tuloy-tuloy ang balik ng liga.”

Jeff Cariaso, head coach of Alaska Aces, praised the organizers for the smooth entry of teams inside the bubble: “Safety protocols set upon arrival at Quest Hotel were very organized and efficient.”

The strict and multilayered processes were tested when one of the referees— followed by a player—tested positive. The tests later turned out to be false alarms, as subsequent antigen and RT-PCR tests showed they were cases of false positives.

Although the games were temporarily suspended, Marcial assured the teams that they had nothing to worry about. Nevertheless, they had to be vigilant:

“Walang virus sa bubble. Halos isang buwan na kami sa loob. Paano makakapasok ang virus? Ang higpit ng protocols.”

Staff from both the Angeles University Foundation (AUF) gym and the Quest Hotel, who entered the bubble prior to the players’ arrivals, also underwent regular RT- PCR testing.

The PBA bubble presented itself as both an opportunity and challenge for the Quest Hotel management, having to implement stricter protocols for check-in, tighter security measures, and constant disinfection in all rooms and facilities, among others. They also had to prepare varied meals based on the nutritional plans of athletes.

“Everything has been smooth,” Quest’s Executive Assistant Manager Mabel Roman said proudly. “PBA, ‘di ba game ito, eh? So we had a game plan that made it easy for us.”

Quest’s preparations did not go unnoticed with players expressing their approval of the PBA management’s decision to choose the Clark hotel. “Quest Hotel, sobrang good job kayo,” Magnolia Hotshots guard Paul Lee said of the quality of hotel food. Packed meals for the players were placed on tables outside of their rooms to lessen contact.

“Karamihan ng teams, may nutritionists at iba-iba ang gusto nilang pagkain,” said PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas. “We’re very happy that it is not just one meal

for everybody. You [Quest] are adjusting to their requests; we are very happy and thankful that you are doing that.”

When they weren’t busy with games, workouts, and team practices (or for some, doing vlogs and pranking each other), players and coaches would also do a round of golf at the nearby Filinvest Mimosa Plus Leisure City, where Mondays were reserved exclusively for the PBA delegation.

The PBA and Clark management took care of everyone’s needs to make them feel at home, from ensuring their safety through regular COVID-19 testing to even getting them haircut services.

“Hindi po nagkamali ang PBA na maging partner at pinili ang Clark sa PBA bubble,” Marcial said. “Kasi ’yong expertise po ni Secretary Vince at ’yong team niya—ang

Quest Hotel, ang AUF—ginawa po nila ang lahat para matuloy ang bubble na ito. Muli po, nagpapasalamat po kami for making the PBA bubble a success.”

After two months inside the bubble, the San Miguel Gin Kings clinched the title, with Coach Tim Cone hoping that “there is going to be only one bubble championship” in PBA history. The hope is the same not just for basketball-crazed fans, but for everyone, if it meant sports and physical activities would return to “normal.”

The future of sports in Clark

Clark, which has been awarded sports destination of the year multiple times, will always be a haven for athletes and sports

enthusiasts. Clark, after all, is resilient, and will adapt and persevere through unexpected circumstances—and the PBA bubble is a testament to that.

While COVID-19 made a lasting impact on sports, the future remains bright, especially for the youth.

Just 15 minutes away from where the PBA bubble was hosted is a brand new city that will continue to be developed for present and future generations of athletes. One of the key projects in New Clark City is the National Academy of Sports for high school students, targeted to be completed in 2021.

The path of sports remains unclear, and while it will take a long time to rebound from the setbacks caused by the COVID pandemic, the only way to keep moving forward is to work together as one team.