MANILA – Japeth Aguilar and Adrian Wong were ordered on Monday to undergo swab testing and a 14-day self-quarantine after videos and photos of them surfaced in social media while playing pickup basketball despite the general community quarantine (GCQ) in Metro Manila.
The decision was part of the sanctions Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner Willie Marcial slapped on the Ginebra star and Rain Or Shine rookie on Monday.
Marcial, along with Deputy Commissioner Eric Castro and legal counsel Melvin Mendoza, met with Aguilar and Wong so the players can air their side of the story. Both former Ateneo players were apologetic for their actions.
Contact sports like basketball remain prohibited during GCQ, although the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases already allowed the PBA to do light practices again.
Marcial also handed a PHP20,000 fine each for both players as well as an order for them to undergo 30 hours of community service.
He asked both Aguilar and Wong to do their first swab test by Tuesday and have another by the end of their quarantine.
Also seen in the social media posts was Terra Firma rookie Isaac Go, but the number one pick of last year's draft was spared from the sanctions as he is currently loaned to the Gilas Cadets program.
Marcial met with Go last Thursday to remind him of the government and PBA guidelines during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
Also seen playing pickup hoops was B. League Asian import Thirdy Ravena.
Neither the league nor the San-en NeoPhoenix, the Japanese team that recruited Ravena, have made a statement regarding the pickup basketball session as of posting. (PNA)
