GAB accepts Dioceldo Sy's apology, but 'stern warning may be issued' to Blackwater

Blackwater owner Dioceldo Sy and other top team officials meet up with Baham Mitra and other GAB officers to say sorry for his team holding a shootaround despite the quarantine rules. Baham Mitra/GAB
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--The Games and Amusements Board has accepted the apology of Blackwater owner Dioceldo Sy for disobeying the COVID-19 quarantine protocols as the joint administrative order for the return of sports practices is still yet to be released.

"Commissioner Edward Trinidad and I have met with Mr. Sy. We have accepted their apology," GAB chairman Baham Mitra said on Monday night.

He added that Sy vowed that the Elite will "adhere to all the rules and safety standards as well as the directives of the IATF and GAB."

"We have also asked them to wait for the IATF resolution and GAB-PSC-DOH Joint Administrative Order before any practice so as not to jeopardize our efforts to resume leagues practice," Mitra further said.

Despite the apology, however, Mitra added that the GAB board are still taking a look at the response of Blackwater governor Silliman Sy about what his older brother actually witnessed.

In an online interview last week, Dioceldo Sy said that his club is back in training ahead of a possible resumption of the PBA season by October.

However, the deemed practice session did not sit well with both the league and GAB as it was ordered that athletes can only return to their training for the competitions they are in once the JAO has been approved by health secretary Francisco Duque.

Despite Sy's claim that what he actually saw was a mere shootaround by two players, the PBA slapped his team with a hefty PHP100,000 fine.

[Related Story: Blackwater slapped with PHP100K fine for ill-advised practice sesh]

GAB, however, could also mete out a separate sanction to the Elite, but Mitra said that the verdict may only be made once Commissioner Mar Masanguid returns from Davao.

For the meantime, according to Mitra, "A stern warning may be issued by GAB to Blackwater to refrain from any practice in the meantime that the order has not yet come out."

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