Collateral damage

Bryan Bagunas dropped a major bombshell when he revealed the lack of support for the national team in the months leading up to the 20th Asian Games.

He said they haven’t been given allowances since July, prompting some of them to borrow money just to attend training. And since some of them are still student-athletes, they would pool their resources to cover their transportation expenses so that everybody will be able to train.

The same thing is happening in Nagoya. Aside from the standard allowance from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), they don’t have any money in their pockets. What’s worse is that they have to pay for their food every time they step out of their hotel to train or compete.

Indeed, these complaints are truly heartbreaking. No Filipino athlete deserves this kind of treatment, especially from sports officials who would rush to the venue for a photo opportunity every time they bring glory to the country in major international events.

But why did we end up in this messy situation? Isn’t volleyball the second most popular sport in the country, so it is also expected to draw a lot of support from both the government and the private sector?

Well, the answer is simple: politics.

Remember Ramon “Tats” Suzara, the controversial chief organizer of the 30th Southeast Asian Games, whom the National Bureau of Investigation is closely looking into due to allegations of corruption? Yes, he is also a central figure in this very ugly situation involving our national athletes.

Suzara used to run the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF). As president of the Asian Volleyball Confederation and executive vice president of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), he wields enormous clout and power in local volleyball. Insiders claim that if football has Jack Warner during the height of Sepp Blatter’s presidency at FIFA, volleyball has Ramon Suzara. That’s how powerful and influential he is.

But last November, the board members of the PNVF realized that they were already sick and tired of Suzara. They embarrassed him by booting him out of power, even refusing to give him a seat on the board of trustees.

Was it the end of Suzara? Definitely not. Six months into Liao’s presidency, the FIVB withdrew its support from the PNVF due to what it branded as “serious governance concerns and multiple purported violations of the FIVB Code of Ethics.” Then, the athletes, led by Alas Pilipinas Women team captain Jia de Guzman, resigned en masse while the Philippine Olympic Committee and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) withdrew their support.

Suzara may not admit it, but his fingerprints are all over the crime scene. It was complete chaos. Overnight, the federation was massacred as it lost its recognition, resources, and operational funding from the PSC, probably the same reason why Bagunas and the national players haven't received their allowances since July.

Suzara played the oldest trick in the book: If you can’t have it, destroy it. Unfortunately, the athletes are suffering. They've become collateral damage in this bitter, high-profile tug-of-war for power and clash of egos.

Now, the PNVF is slowly finding its footing. With businessman Frank Lao at the helm since last month, the federation is working hard to regain the trust of its players and stakeholders — and repairing a bank account drained dry by its previous leaders.

So far, Lao is doing a great job. He advanced P10 million of his personal fund to pay for all the outstanding debts and payables that will help the federation recover. He even gave Bagunas and his teammates pocket money of P20,000 each before leaving for Nagoya and covered for the round-trip airfare of Owa Retamar, a late addition to the Asian Games squad.

With a businessman, sports patron, and team owner like Lao at the helm, it appears that the dark days of Philippine volleyball are finally over. He worked his magic when he turned Strong Group Athletics into a powerhouse squad in basketball, I’m pretty sure he can do the same in volleyball.

Bagunas and the national athletes just need to hold the line a little longer. Better days are coming.