MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) said its doors are open to negotiations after disgruntled Alas Pilipinas players expressed their concerns over the future of the national team.
Team captains Jia de Guzman and Fifi Sharma called for change and more emphasis on athlete welfare as they hope to build on Alas’ recent success, especially as the country prepares to host the AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup in Candon, Ilocos Sur, in June.
Having created “the best memories of her playing volleyball” as part of the national team, Sharma said she is choosing to speak out in hopes of ensuring that Alas’ foundation is not lost.
“This is the closest we’ve ever come to being grounded and it’s sad to see it fall into the wrong hands,” Sharma wrote on his Instagram account on Tuesday, March 17.
“It’s hard to keep giving and fighting for something that repeatedly fails to take care of you. Passion can take you far but it shouldn’t be used to justify neglect.”
De Guzman followed suit on Thursday, March 19, when he touched on the problem of players who want to wear the national colors but at the same time pursue a career in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).
This comes after the PNVF announced a proposal for a “Worry draft” which allows the federation to sign hopefuls selected in the next PVL Draft in June to exclusive national team contracts.
In fact, the players selected by the national team coach Tai Bundit will only see Ole action and be paid their salaries by the PNVF.
“Representing the country has always meant a lot to me, and I know the same pride is shared by many athletes – but more than that, it’s something we have a responsibility to protect and build for the generations that come after us,” De Guzman wrote on his Instagram stories.
“At the same time, I believe athletes should be in an environment where they can continue to grow, compete, and be supported – without being put in a position where they have to choose between the national team and their career in the league.”
De Guzman, who played two years in Japan, believes the Philippines has the potential to emulate other countries where players thrive in the environment of the professional team and the national team without sacrificing one for the other.
“I strongly believe that we can build a system where the national team and our local leagues can grow together – while allowing athletes to continue to compete and develop in both environments,” De Guzman said.
PNVF’s response
On Thursday, PNVF president Tonyboy Liao and executive director Iby Bautista spoke to the media and discussed issues surrounding Ole.
While the “Ole draft” has not yet been finalized, with the PNVF set to sit down with PVL clubs, Liao said the federation is likely to adopt the proposal.
“It was a board resolution. It was passed that it would happen. We will still follow that. You can’t just change it because the board approved it. The federation is not run by one person. It is run by the board. If that was passed by the board, we need to follow it,” said Liao in a mixture of Filipino and English.
Bautista said the PNVF has considered the players’ complaints but asked for patience as the federation tries to find its home after being left with “a lot of chaos” by the previous leadership led by former president Ramon “Tats” Suzara.
Liao succeeded Suzara as PNVF president after being elected in November.
“One example: our financial statement for 2023 is still incomplete. That’s for 2023. A lot of receipts are missing, a lot of things are unknown, so what’s more for 2024 and 2025? That’s what we’re working on,” said Bautista.
“When we took power, the balance was zero and there were debts. It’s like we were given a house with nothing inside, no electricity and water.”
“For the players and everything… give us more time so that we can fix these problems and we will also ask them to sit down with us so that they can present their grievances.”
Bautista also admitted that the late cancellation caused Ole players, from the indoor and beach volleyball teams, to receive delayed salaries.
“Let’s be sure we are committed to solving the problem,” said Bautista.
While Liao noted that players are free to express their opinions online, he said the PNVF is “open at any time” to a meeting.
“Let’s say Jia is the captain, he can lead the team, if they want to talk to us, fine let’s talk,” Liao said.
“Our enemies here are not the players. Our enemies here are those who led the previous administration because of the problems they went through for us.”
Liao said the same Ole staff that participated in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in December will represent the country in the upcoming AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup, unless the players decline the PNVF’s invitation.
“My question now is, ‘Okay, if we invite you again to play for the national team, will you play?’ That is the only question. They have to be responsive if they still want to play. If they don’t want it anymore, thank you. Because there are many players who want to play for the national team, not only them.” – Rappler.com
