GAMES and Amusements Board (GAB) chairman Baham Mitra expressed his sincere congratulations to the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup for becoming the very first professional basketball league in the Visayas and Mindanao.
“Finally, after a long wait, having a pro league for Visayas and Mindanao has become a reality,” said the GAB chief during a press conference on Wednesday morning, Feb. 3.
The passage of GAB Resolution 2021-01 has paved the way for the approval of the accreditation of VisMin Super Cup basketball league under the supervision and regulation of the GAB.
This development brings the league closer to its launching tentatively slated on April 9.
Mitra commended the league’s organizers for pushing through with this endeavor in spite of the pandemic that is ravaging the country and the rest of the world.
“I would like to commend, congratulate and thank the people behind the Super Cup. It takes days and weeks working on the protocols, and we commend and thank you for your fighting spirit in coping with Covid-19,” said Mitra.
“GAB wants to embrace everybody so long as the health protocols are put in place,” he added.
GAB commissioner Eduard Trinidad is hopeful that this league could help basketball players from the Visayas and Mindanao on their journey to playing in bigger leagues like the PBA.
“This will be our gateway to bigger leagues not just in Manila but anywhere else given the chance,” said Trinidad. “Hopefully mas marami pang teams ang sasali (more teams will join).”
Mitra also reminded everyone involved in the VisMin Super Cup of the responsibilities that come with being a professional.
“Becoming professional entails responsibilities. Everyone will have to undergo a code of conduct seminar,” Mitra explained. “A GAB license is a privilege and not a right, and you have to earn and keep it. We have to set standards.”
More than anything, he emphasized that everyone — from players and coaches, to team officials and league staff — has to toe the line when it comes to the stringent health protocols.
“The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has said everybody has to be very careful. Don’t put your guard down. One incident in one league will have a huge impact on all the leagues,” Mitra said. (JNP)