JB ABL ready to bring back Ilonggo basketball

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The biggest basketball league in the City of Love is back.

After the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) placed Iloilo City under Alert Level 2 and contact sports were already given the green light by Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, commissioner and founder of the JB Amateur Basketball League (JB ABL) Jayphet Balbacal confirmed that the league will be returning this November.

The return will mark the end of the one year-and-a-half hiatus for 5-on-5 basketball since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Balbacal emphasized that his immediate planning of the JB ABL return isn’t for the sake of playing the sport but to uplift the spirits of every contact sports athlete who felt down during its absence.

“The restart of the JB ABL League is hindi lang gid to play the sport because alert level 2 na ta but one of the pure purposes why gusto ta matigayun ni is para ma balik ta ang spark sa mga atleta nga nadulaan gana sang pandemya,” said Balbacal during an exclusive interview with the Daily Guardian.

JB ABL will have its tune-up schedule from this November up to the first week of December and will have its formal season kick off in the second week of December.

The same teams already expressed their interest in joining the league but the final list of participating teams is yet to be determined after the league’s final meeting with the team owners.

Balbacal added that they are planning to have the playoffs and end the season in January 2022, depending on the health status of the city.

“Again, those who are fully vaccinated can play. I also hope that this basketball return of ours can help encourage people to get their vaccine, sa mga wala pa kakuha kag gusto mag intra. Sadyahun ta ni.” Balbacal continued.