A MILLION TIMES BETTER THAN GOING TO SEAG

Today, I will get an FIVB certificate for completing a course on beach volleyball coaching.

It all started when I asked PVF President Boy Cantada if I could drop by the venue to see just how FIVB conducts a course. I also know that the instructor, Mr. Athanasios Papageorgiou is a world-renowned volleyball author. So I really wanted to observe the classes.

But Mr. Cantada insisted that I attend the classes instead of just being an observer. He took me in as his scholar.

More than the FIVB certificate that I will get, what truly touches my heart is the desire of Mr. Cantada and Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF) to better myself. The course now gives me a better understanding of both indoor and outdoor volleyball which will help me write more effectively about the sport. And who knows, I might just end up coaching a beach volleyball team in the future.

This desire to better one's self and to give the best possible opportunity in life is what separates PVF from the other group that is claiming legitimacy. I experienced it and therefore now know how PVF is willing to give something that is just too great to pass up on. It is much like what PVF gave to the players of Amihan and Bagwis. Players of Amihan and Bagwis were given the opportunity of a lifetime to represent the country while enjoying the best financial support ever given to volleyball players.

Through this post, I wish to thank Sir Boy, Coach Otie, Sir Gerard, Sir Karl, Weng and Kuya Rodel for giving me a wonderful opportunity and experience to better myself.

Maraming-maraming salamat po.

ISANG PANAWAGAN SA PAGKILOS

Saksi tayo sa walang katarungang pagpapatalsik ng POC at LVPI sa PVF sa FIVB. Sa kabila nang magandang programang inilatag ng PVF para sa volleyball na sinusuportahan ng dalawa sa pinakamalaking kumpanya sa bansa, nakuha pa rin ng POC at LVPI na makialam at maghasik ng lagim.

Walang pakundangan na ginamit ng POC at LVPI ang kanilang mga kakilala sa FIVB upang mapatalsik pansamantala ang PVF. Sa kabila ng di pagtupad sa mga kasunduan, binigyan pa rin ng FIVB ng provisional recognition ang LVPI.

Maging sa korte ng Pilipinas, pilit na pinababagal ng LVPI at POC ang paggulong ng hustisya. Dalawang beses na silang humingi ng pagpapaliban at patuloy pa ring hihingi ng paliban sa susunod pang mga pagdinig.

Sa gitna ng kawalan ng katarungan, marapat lang na kumilos na ang mga tunay na nagmamahal sa volleyball. Panahon na para kumilos ang mga mamamayan para itama ang mali. Panahon na para magsagawa ng signature campaign upang ipaalam sa POC, LVPI at maging FIVB kung sino ang totoong kinikilalang tagapangasiwa ng volleyball sa Pilipinas. Panahon na para manindigan ang mga Pilipino upang makamtan ang katarungang pilit na ipinagkakait.

" Kung hindi tayo kikilos, sino pa ang kikilos ? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa ? "

UNBECOMING OF A NATIONAL TEAM COACH

A Twitter friend sent me the screenshot below :

If the account truly belong to LVPI Coach Roger Gorayeb, it is truly a disgrace to LVPI and national teams that one of their coaches can actually write those things for everyone to read. The statements are vulgar, uncouth and totally unbecoming of a national team coach. Whether Coach Gorayeb realizes it or not, he now represents the 100 M Filipinos simply by being a national team coach. As such, he must always show the world the best in every Filipino. Much is truly expected from a national team coach. Sadly, judging from his statements, if they are indeed his own, Gorayeb simply does not have what it takes to be a highly respected national team coach.

WHY THE AIZA MAIZO INCIDENT IS AN EYE-OPENER

courtesy of rivals.ph

In a disturbing display of gross disrespect for a player, LVPI through Coach Roger Gorayeb put Aiza Maizo on reserve for the SEA Games in Singapore. After receiving much flak from the decision, LVPI and Coach Gorayeb put the most awarded female volleyball player of the Philippines as an assistant coach instead.

The Aiza Maizo incident is significant because it shows how politics play a huge part in the formation of LVPI teams. Maizo should be a shoo-in for the SEA Games. But Coach Gorayeb and LVPI put in Bea De Leon instead in an obvious attempt to please people in the organization.

The incident also shows how powerless Coach Nes Pamilar is in protecting his recruit from embarrassment. Sources reveal that Maizo agreed to join the LVPI team because of Coach Nes, who is her coach in Cagayan. But even Coach Ness could not prevent people from LVPI from shaming Aiza Maizo.

And to add insult to injury, Maizo was told off by a sports writer through Twitter.

To regain her dignity, Maizo should just abandon the idea of joining any LVPI team. She should not subject herself from further embarrassment by becoming an assistant coach for LVPI. She should realize that LVPI people are simply not worth her time and loyalty. The sooner that she realizes this, the better it is for her.

WHY THE RECOGNITION AFTER LVPI FAILED TO MEET PAYMENT DEADLINE ?

In a letter issued by FIVB President Ary Graca dated March 24, 2015, LVPI was asked to pay USD 80,000.00 on or before April 30, 2015 to gain "full" recognition.

LVPI, through Julius Manicad and Joey Villar, showed to the public an MT 103 to prove that LVPI paid and beat the April 30 deadline. This, despite the value date of the MT 103 being May 4, 2015.

But an email by no less than FIVB President on Finance Andre Meyer to yours truly dated May 15, 2015 reveals that no LVPI payment of USD 80,000.00 entered the account of FIVB on May 4, 2015.

The failure to meet the deadline set by FIVB on April 30 and intention to deceive FIVB and the Filipino people should deny LVPI of any form of recognition from FIVB. Why then did Ary Graca issue yet another recognition to LVPI on May 18, 2015 ?

Do you smell a conspiracy ?

HOW LVPI, MANICAD AND VILLAR LIED TO THE PUBLIC

Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas Incorporated (LVPI), sports writers Julius Manicad and Joey Villar posted the MT 103 below to show that LVPI paid to FIVB the sum of USD 80, 000.00. Note that the payment should have been executed and completed last May 4, 2015 according to the value date of the MT 103.

But in a news article that appears in FIVB's website and dated May 12, 2015, LVPI's payment is yet to be received by FIVB.


Kosovo given provisional recognition

The FIVB Board of Administration outside the FIVB headquarters in Lausanne

Lausanne, Switzerland, May 12, 2015 - The FIVB Board of Administration approved the provisional recognition of the National Federation of Kosovo, pending the 2016 World Congress ratification.

The addition of the Kosovo National Volleyball Federation brings the total number of FIVB member federations to 221.

The Board reviewed three National Federation cases in total on Tuesday with the application of the Philippines pending until the receipt of outstanding payments has arrived to the FIVB while the South Sudan application was put on hold due to the political situation in the country and the lack of complete documentation.

Meanwhile, Stav Jacobi, the President of the Board of Directors of Eventcourt AG, who is orgnaiser of the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship until 2019, was presented to the FIVB Board of Administration as a new co-opted member.

In accordance with Point 2.5.1.2e of the FIVB Constitution which states, the President may decide to co-opt up to four (4) additional members with special coordinating duties in relation to FIVB Competitions and until the end of said FIVB Competitions. Mr Jacobi attended the FIVB Executive Committee meeting and the FIVB Board of Administration meeting.

The Board of Administration also approved the Board of Administration 2014 and World Congress 2014 minutes as well as the new Chairman of the Appeal Panel Lic. Miguel Caceres-Colon from Puerto Rico, who replaced Mr Macias Uribe from Mexico who stood down for health reasons. 

The volleyball community deserves the truth.

FULL FIVB RECOGNITION OF LVPI ?

Below is the alleged full FIVB  recognition of Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Incorporated (LVPI) :

What do you think ?

ARE THE LVPI TEAMS RECOGNIZED AS NATIONAL TEAMS ?

At a time when the the Philippine Sports Commission said that it has yet to receive the appointment papers of LVPI from POC and that the status of LVPI teams as national teams are questionable, here comes an email from Manila International Airport Authority,

Dear Mr. Dimzon,

The Office of the Senior Assistant General Manager has read your email on terminal fee exemption.

Please be informed that exemption for athletes shall be properly endorsed by the Philippine Sports Commission.

However, there was no endorsement received by the Authority with regard to the issue you raised concerning the U23 Men's Team.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Media Affairs Division should you have any other concern. Thank you.

Sincerely,

David Faustino T. de Castro

Public Relations Officer

Media Affairs Division

Manila International Airport Authority

Thus the question remains. Is this email a confirmation that PSC does not recognize the LVPI team as a national team ?

CHALLENGE TO LVPI : SHOW FULL FIVB RECOGNITION

To this day. LVPI has not yet shown to the public its FIVB letter of full recognition. After paying USD 80,000.00 to fulfill its commitment to FIVB, LVPI has yet to receive its full recognition from the international federation.

The letter of full recognition is very important as it legitimizes LVPI. PVF, the former NSA for volleyball, will be effectively silenced once LVPI obtains a valid and full FIVB recognition. LVPI will have the license to do whatever an official national federation does with the recognition.

But the truth is, LVPI will not be given full FIVB recognition. FIVB President Ary Graca will not risk his position by issuing a fraudulent recognition. The very letter of recognition is proof in itself of an anomaly and will be used against Graca should he issue one. A few member nations of FIVB like the US and Australia know what is happening in Philippine volleyball. So, eyes are on Graca. A mistake will be costly for the FIVB president and ultimately to FIVB as an institution.

Most important of all, the issue of an FIVB recognition at this point in time, is the highest form of respect that LVPI can give its U23 players. The players are doing their best in the current U23 tournament to represent the country well. It is but right that LVPI acknowledges the hard work that the players are putting in. There is no better acknowledgement of such hard work than to prove that there is legitimacy in all of it.

USA VOLLEYBALL CEO DOUG BEAL ON THE PHILIPPINE VOLLEYBALL CONFLICT

Dear Eric----I am not sure I can easily answer all your questions.  I think you must go the FIVB web site and carefully read the most recent edition of the FIVB Constitution for most of these answers.  Generally I believe the Congress has most of the final authority for any decision of NF affiliation.  I do not believe that either the President of the Ex Com or even the Board can change a NF without Congress approval.  Surely with any change of NF affiliation or recognition by the FIVB some official notification must take place and also there would seem to be an opportunity for the old NF to be heard.  I suspect there is always appeal to CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport).  Best wishes,   DB

Doug Beal is the present CEO of USA Volleyball. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and is responsible for the great improvement of Team USA in volleyball. He sits as a board member in FIVB and is a Hall of Famer.

HAS LVPI PAID THE USD 80,000.00 TO FIVB ?

Two staunch defenders of LVPI posted documents in their Twitter accounts that allegedly prove that LVPI paid USD 80,000.00 to FIVB.

Defender 1 posted the document below :

Defender 2 posted the email below :

Let us first examine the document posted by Defender 1. The document is an email from the FIVB Finance Committee stating that an original invoice will be sent to LVPI through UPS. What is significant about the email is the emphasis on the bank details. Obviously, the sender of the email is informing LVPI of FIVB's bank details to facilitate the money transfer. The invoice referred by the sender is not a receipt of actual payment but rather an invoice that tells to what bank, how much money and for what purpose a certain amount of money LVPI must transfer. The invoice is certainly not an acknowledgement of payment.

Now the document posted by Defender 2 is an MT 103. An MT 103 is a single customer credit transfer. What is significant in LVPI's MT 103 is the value date as indicated in 32a. The value date is the day when the transfer is completed. The indicated value date of LVPI's MT 103 is May 4, 2015. Meaning, the amount of USD 80,000.00 will only be completely transferred to FIVB'S account on May 4, 2015. FIVB will only be able to withdraw the said amount on May 4. Hence, technically, LVPI will only fulfill its obligation to FIVB on the said date. Up until May 3, 2015, LVPI will still owe FIVB the USD 80,000.00. Interestingly, the value date coincides with the day I posted on my blog an article that features Mr. Andre Meyer saying that no amount of USD 80,000.00 went into any of FIVB's account.

These two defenders think that the volleyball community is too dumb to pay close attention to the documents that they are posting. They think that people are just so naive to believe whatever they post or tweet. They are certainly wrong. Very wrong indeed.