MANILA — On Thursday, the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) granted the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League the necessary accreditation to transition into a professional league.
After being temporarily halted due to the epidemic, the league has been searching for a breakthrough like this, according to Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes, and this appears to be it.
According to Duremdes, “during the last two years, the players have been hoping for the league to return.”
“During that period of two years, the league had the opportunity to reevaluate our overall strategy. We got where we are now by being persistent and having patience. We have returned with the assistance of our business partner, Chooks-to-Go, and under the direction of GAB.
Since 2017, the MPBL has been run as a league for amateur players.
However, both the pandemic and a resolution on professional and amateur leagues that was passed jointly by GAB and the Philippine Sports Commission caused the league to reevaluate its place in Philippine sports.
Abraham “Baham” Mitra, chairman of the GAB, remarked that having you there was “such an honor for all of us to have.” “Over the past few years, there have been many events at GAB, but this is one of the most significant.”
“Madami nagsasabi na masarap sa pakiramdam na magpo-pro na kami. Maraming nananaginip na maging professional players at makakamit na nila ito sa MPBL.”
The first step of the league’s transition to the professional level will come in the form of the 2021 Chooks-to-Go MPBL Invitational Tournament, which will be held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena from December 11 to December 23.
Accreditation as a professional team has been granted to all twenty-two of the competing teams in the event that has a prize pool of two million pesos.
There are a total of 22 teams playing in this event. They come from the cities of Bacolod, Bacoor City, Jumbo Plastic Basilan, Bicol-LCC Malls, Bulacan, Caloocan, GenSan, Iloilo, Imus, Laguna-Krah Asia, Makati FSD, Manila, Marikina, Mindoro-EOG, Muntinlupa, Negros, Nueva Ecija, Pasig-Sta. Luci
In addition, the clubs were provided with a rundown of the advantages of holding a GAB license, such as the ability to assist in player-team-league mediation, the implementation of health and safety protocols, and player perks, among other advantages.
In addition, the GAB and the MPBL made it clear to the teams that they do not tolerate any kind of match rigging or point shaving of any kind.
Mitra stated that the MPBL is becoming more professional due to Chooks-to-Go.
“We would want to use this opportunity to remind everyone that we will not tolerate any kind of game-fixing. Alam natin na ‘yan nakakasira sa ating laro. As part of the team’s code of conduct, it is required that you publicly distance yourself from any involvement in rigging games or shaving points, he said.
We have graduated to the professional level. Alongside GAB with us, ‘yung mga players na may binabalak, magisip-isip na sila. It will be very challenging to rehabilitate your reputation after tarnishing it,” Duremdes continued.
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