Dawn of a new era

Dawn of a new era | Daily Tribune

The election of as president of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) isn’t just a mere leadership change–it marks a new era in Philippine volleyball.

For the past couple of years, the persistent obstacle to the growth of Philippine volleyball has been the internal discord, particularly between the PNVF and the Premier Volleyball League (PVL). Their bickering has made it difficult to form a competitive national team, leading to the disgust of major stakeholders and investors and the demoralization of players.

Sure, the country was able to host the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship last September. But it failed to hide the fact that there was tension simmering underneath, with some quarters determined to boot the former PNVF leadership out of power.

Liao’s arrival is a breath of fresh air. He offers a blend of institutional knowledge, experience, credibility, and most importantly, shared vested interests.

As chairman of Sports Vision — the group that runs the PVL and its men’s counterpart, Spikers’ Turf — Liao is in a unique position to be a unifying force, making the federation and the country’s top domestic leagues work within a system.

But more than serving as a key stakeholder, Liao is no rookie when it comes to sports administration. As chairman of the PNVF national team commission, Liao is familiar with the inner workings and operations of both the federation and the domestic league, putting him in a very strong position to reconcile the competing interests.

One of the challenges Liao will be facing as new PNVF president is the alignment of the national team calendar with the PVL’s, where more than 80 percent of the national women’s team members are seeing action. Without a properly aligned calendar, clubs are reluctant — or technically unable — to release their top players for national team duty, which could lead to the country’s poor performance in the international arena.

In the coming 33rd Southeast Asian Games, in fact, reports have it that only two to four players are training because most of them are busy leading their respective teams to the PVL Reinforced Conference title. The PVL will end on 30 November, while the flight of the women’s volleyball team for the SEA Games in Bangkok is set for the first week of December, giving Alas Pilipinas only a few days to train together as a team.

But Liao can easily solve that. Now that he is the president of the federation and chairman of the top domestic league, he has the power to perfectly align commercial interests with national concerns, a setup that was proven effective in basketball, where Philippine Basketball Association Chairman Ricky Vargas also serves as president of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

Moreover, Liao’s presidency could signal peace — a long-sought peace in Philippine volleyball. Under his leadership, the PNVF’s mission to elevate volleyball at every level — from the grassroots to the elite — can finally be pursued through collaboration, rather than through tension and intimidation.

Critics may point to a potential conflict of interest — after all, Liao has deep ties to the PVL. But these very ties could be his greatest strength. Instead of being adversaries, the federation and the league may now function as partners, using their shared goals to drive long-term growth.

In Liao, Philippine volleyball may have found the leader capable of delivering those ambitions. His ascent could finally bring the stability that our national teams need — and the unity that the local volleyball community has long been waiting for.

If he delivers, the ripple effects will be felt not just with the national team, but in every gym, every training camp, and with every aspiring young player who dreams of wearing the country’s colors.

Indeed, this may be the moment Philippine volleyball finally realizes its potential — together.