WNBL, the first-ever women's professional basketball league in the Philippines, and the NBL decided to postpone the start of their 2021 season after the Holy Week due to the recent surge in 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) cases in the country.
The NBL has also formed an ad-hoc committee that will monitor the situation in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, and Laguna, which have been placed under general community quarantine from March 22 to April 4.
Members of the ad-hoc committee include team executives who hold public offices in their respective local government units.
NBL/WNBL executive vice president Rhose Montreal said that the ad-hoc committee agreed to meet after April 4 to re-evaluate the plans for the opening of the 2021 season.
"We want to stress that the safety of the teams and the players are our top priority before we push through with the season-opening," NBL/WNBL chairperson Celso Mercado said.
NBL/WNBL commissioner Edward Aquino, meanwhile, said that the training of teams from areas classified as modified general community quarantine low-risk have been called off.
"The league finds it unfair for teams in GCQ since they cannot proceed because of the restriction under JAO and surges in cases," Aquino explained.
