New Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) president Frank Lao wants to build a stronger and more sustainable foundation for Alas Pilipinas, with a continuous national team program and a deeper talent pool among his top priorities.

Lao, who also serves as chief of Strong Group Athletics (SGA), said strengthening the pipeline for Alas Pilipinas Women and establishing better coordination with the Premier Volleyball League will be crucial as the federation looks to improve its international program.

Lao was elected as the new PNVF president last week, succeeding Tonyboy Liao.

“We talk with PVL, and they agreed to let the players go during the national team period. It also depends on the players whether they agree to it or not,” Lao said.

The new volleyball chief, however, wants to go beyond simply assembling a team whenever an international tournament comes around.

Lao said he envisions a setup in which national team players can train continuously and develop chemistry instead of constantly moving in and out of their professional club commitments.

“As for me, my only dream — what I really want — is for all the players coming from college. I want to separate the national team players from the professional players so that their training remains continuous. After all, volleyball is a team effort,” Lao said.

Lao is also keeping the door open for Filipino-foreign players and possible naturalized athletes who can strengthen the national team’s chances in major international competitions.

He pointed to Strong Group’s basketball program as a model that could provide valuable lessons for the national volleyball setup.

“Just like what SGA is doing with Fil-Am basketball players. I just want to add more of our talented players to the mix; it would be a waste not to,” Lao said.

But building a competitive national team is only one part of Lao’s agenda.

He also wants the PNVF to restore and maintain a healthy working relationship with the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) by resolving the federation’s concerns and strictly following its rules and bylaws.

“We’ll just follow the FIVB rules. Hopefully, we can get this sorted out within the next few weeks,” Lao said.A