Liao eyes smooth PNVF transition

The new Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) leadership is sitting down with former officers to discuss the next course of action for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand next month.

Newly elected federation head Tony Boy Liao said that he plans to have a dialogue with the ousted president Ramon “Tats” Suzara about whether the new administration will immediately take over the buildup and actual participation of the Alas Pilipinas men’s and women’s indoor and beach volleyball teams in the biennial meet.

“We have decided to have a meeting with them. As a courtesy, we don’t want to just take over the program they started. It just so happened that we had an election, and this was the result. Whatever the representation of PNVF we’ll discuss it,” said Liao, who was among the 13 elected in the Executive Board from where officials were selected during the PNVF polls held Friday in Taguig City.

“We’ll talk to them if they want to talk with us; we’ll discuss this one.”

Preparations of Alas Pilipinas men’s indoor squad, which is coming off a good showing in the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship and is determined to get back to the podium after a silver medal finish in the 2019 Manila edition, are already in full swing with a training camp in Taiwan.

The beach volleyball teams are also busy in their build-up for the regional sports meet running from 9 to 20 December.

However, the Alas women’s indoor team is still having trouble with its training.

Only a handful from the expanded training pool of Brazilian head coach Jorge Souza De Brito are available during practice, as most are still playing in the ongoing 2025 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference.

Skipper Jia de Guzman, Eya Laure, Cignal’s Vanie Gandler and Dawn Catindig, Capital1’a Leila Cruz and Bella Belen, PLDT’s Del Palomata and Alleiah Malaluan, as well as college standouts Angel Canino and Shaina Nitura are only among the few who religiously show up in the two-a-week training session.

Although PVL clubs were given the prerogative to release their Alas players early, most opted to keep them in their roster, especially those still in the playoffs. The import-laden PVL tournament will wrap on Sunday.