Joust for power

Joust for power | Daily Tribune

The Philippine National Volleyball Federation’s (PNVF) formation of the national women’s team that will compete in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games without prior consultation with the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) is more than just an administrative blunder. It is a declaration of war.

There is no doubt the PNVF is the authority when it comes to forming the national team. Recognized by the International Volleyball Federation and the Philippine Olympic Committee, the PNVF has the mandate to decide whom to send to major international competitions.

But the PNVF can’t make decisions unilaterally, especially where players are concerned. The PVL — the country’s top professional volleyball league — makes this hard since the team owners are the ones paying the salaries of the players provided, they play for them commercially.

In the 20-woman lineup of Alas Pilipinas, 80 percent compete in the PVL. In fact, only Alyssa Solomon of Japanese club Osaka Marvelous, Angel Canino and Amie Provido of De La Salle University, and Shai Nitura of Adamson University play outside the PVL.

In short, the PNVF has to “borrow” the players from the PVL and the team owners if it wants to form a national team strong enough to end the country’s 32-year title drought in the SEA Games. Otherwise, it would have no choice but to send an inferior team that no one will remember as soon as the flames of the SEA Games die down.

And that’s where the joust for power is happening.

While the PNVF is dead serious about sending the best team to the SEA Games in December, the PVL is determined that its ongoing Reinforced Conference continues without any delays after the league had already given way to the country’s hosting of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship last September.

Clearly, the PNVF and the PVL are not on the same page. There is an emblematic tug-of-war over who will steer the future of volleyball in the Philippines — the federation, the league, or a partnership of both. If the federation imposes decisions top-down, the league may react defensively, delaying approvals, withholding resources, or eroding collaborative frameworks.

At this point, what the sport needs is transparent and sincere coordination.

Any national team brand should be co-created with the major domestic league and all the stakeholders — players, clubs, sponsors — so that international ambitions and domestic momentum will be achieved. Without that, we risk a split. One calendar for the national ambition, another for professional growth and commercial success — both competing rather than complementing each other.

For the sake of the players, the fans, and the future of Philippine volleyball, it is time the PNVF and PVL sit down at the same table, reconcile their calendars, clarify their roles, and commit to a shared vision under the “Alas Pilipinas” banner that is inclusive, coordinated and sustainable.

Anything less is to gamble on fragmented progress — and that would be a great loss for Philippine volleyball.