GAB Chairman Mitra
Nothing to worry — Mitra
THE Games and Amusements Board (GAB), headed by Chairman Abraham “Baham” Mitra, will continue to look for ways to help the Filipino professional athletes affected by the new rounds of lockdowns and restrictions being imposed by the government due to the surge in the coronavirus cases.
Mitra called the decision to postpone the staging of professional sports, such as the PBA, as just “temporary setback, but assured everybody that the government, thru GAB, is doing everything to help the professional athletes.
A three-time lawmaker from Palawan, Mitra agreed with the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to place the National Capital Region under ECQ again as a way to fight the spread of the new and deadly COVID-19 variant.
“GAB, as the government regulatory body in professional sports, is always ready to provide full support to our athletes during this time of the pandemic,” said Mitra in a message to People’s Tonight.
“Even during the first reported case of the coronavirus disease in the country last year, GAB already took the necessary steps to ensure the welfare of all professional athletes,” added Mitra.
Mitra also lauded the decision of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) to temporarily suspend the holding of the games of the Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Pasig City in support of the government ruling.
“We, at GAB, fully support the PBA’s decision to suspend its ongoing conference. We also subscribe to the league’s decision to transfer its venue from Pasig City to Batangas province. However, may we remind everyone to continue to adhere to our public health standards and IATF’s guidelines because we are facing a more contagious Covid-19 variant,” added Mitra, who was appointed by President Duterte to GAB in 2016.
Mitra assured everybody that GAB will strictly enforce all health and safety protocols based on the recommendation of the IATF.
He noted that the PBA and all other GAB-sanctioned leagues, including National Basketball League, Women’s National Basketball League and Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. (PGTI) have all agreed to suspend their competitions n support of the IATF’s ruling.
The famed Elorde International Promotions, headed by Gabriel “Flash Elorde, also decided to postpone its August 7 fight card at the Flash Ballroom in Parañaque City, to support the government directive.
Mitra, however, admitted that the Premier Volleyball League (PVL), which is being played in Ilocos Norte, and the Mindanao leg of the Pilipinas VisMin Cup, which is being held in Pagadian City were allowed to continue due to more relaxed quarantine status by the local government units.
During earlier nationwide lockdowns due to the coronavirus, Mitra personally sought the help of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for assistance to displaced professional athletes, including boxers and mixed martial arts practitioners.
