UP WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL TEAM : TUNAY NA ISKOLAR NG BAYAN

courtesy of UP Women's Volleyball Varsity Team

Apat na sunud-sunod na panalo na ang naitatala ng UP sa Season 78 ng UAAP women's volleyball. Sa kartadang 6-3, nasa ikatlong puwesto ang UP Lady Maroons sa likod ng Ateneo at La Salle.

Bagamat di katangkaran ang mga players ni Coach Jerry Yee, tulung-tulong naman sina Molde, Tiamzon, Bersola, Lai, Buitre, Dorog at Carlos upang punuan ang kanilang kakulangan sa height. Solido rin sa floor defense ang UP kaya hirap pumuntos ang mga kalaban.

Sa laban kontra Adamson, nakita kong magalit muli si Coach Jerry. Subalit imbes na manlumo, magalang at buong tapat na sinagot ng mga players ang mga tanong na ibinabato sa kanila sa gitna ng laban. Pagkatapos, buong husay nilang pinakita sa court ang kanilang mga sagot sa mga kamaliang pinupukol sa kanila ng kanilang coach.

Itong bagong angking karakter ang magiging susi sa patuloy na pamamayagpag ng UP Lady Maroons. Ang kakayahang magpakita ng katinuan, lakas at katatagan sa gitna ng delubyo ang sasandalan ng UP upang mamayani at maabot ang inaasam na kampeonato.

Ang tunay na Iskolar ng Bayan ay matalino, matapang at madiskarte. Tulad ng UP Women's Volleyball Team.

OTIE CAMANGIAN AT KARL CHAN : BATMAN AND ROBIN NG PHILIPPINE VOLLEYBALL

courtesy of sg.sports.yahoo.com

courtesy of sg.sports.yahoo.com

Nabuo ang Dynamic Duo ng Philippine volleyball nang biglang nagpahinga si Gener Dungo bilang presidente ng Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF) noong 2014. Sa pagkawala ni Dungo, naluklok na interim president si Karl Chan. Nanatili namang secretary-general si Otie Camangian noong mga panahon na iyon. At dun umusbong ang Camangian-Chan tandem.

Sa ilalim ng pamunuan nina Chan at Camangian, matagumpay na naisagawa sa bansa ang Asian Men's Club Championship nuong 2014. Sa ilalim rin ng dalawa nabuo ang national teams na kinabibilangan ng mga pinaka-sikat at pinaka-magagaling na volleyball players ng bansa. Binansagang Pilipinas Bagwis at Amihan, nabuo ang national teams sa tulong at suporta ng pinakamalalaking kumpanya ng bansa. Maging ang national youth teams ay nakunan ng dalawa ng suporta sa malalaking kumpanya.

Subalit biglang naudlot ang magagandang plano at adhikain nina Camangian at Chan nang biglang umeksena ang Joker, Penguin at Riddler ng Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) at Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC). Nadiskaril pati ang Amihan at Bagwis. Tuluyang naputol ang 5-year program para sa Philippine volleyball.

Sa kasalukuyan, namamayagpag sina Joker, Penguin at Riddler bagamat wala silang national teams na nabubuo. Samantala, patuloy lang sa paggawa si Camangian at Chan upang maipagpatuloy ang magagandang nasimulan. Executive director si Otie Camanian at vice-president si Karl Chan ng PVF. Si Edgardo Cantada naman ang presidente ng PVF.

Patuloy lang ang Batman and Robin ng Philippine volleyball sa kanilang hangarin na mapabuti ang lagay ng volleyball sa bansa. Bagamat tila bugbog sa kasalukuyan, di magtatagal at mananaig din ang Dynamic Duo sa pakikibaka para sa mga naaapi.

VOLLEYBALL MUST TAKE ITS CUE FROM DRAGON BOAT

A few years ago, POC placed dragon boat under the Philippine Canoe Kayak Federation (PCKF). Despite winning 5 gold medals at the World Championships in Tampa Florida under the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF), POC President Cojuangco intervened and successfully placed the sport under a different national federation.

But after a few years, trouble erupted within PCKF and the paddlers of PDBF who joined PCKF. Below is a letter written by the paddlers who joined PCKF.

National Dragon Boat Team

SUMMARY

On July 12, 2013, we wrote a letter addressed to both the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) requesting for an investigation of two (2) of the officials of PCKF: Acting President Ms.Jonne Go and Head Coach Ms. Leonora Escollante on allegations of unethical conduct and questionable disbursement of funds. These are violations which Ms. Escollante had previously been penalized for by the PSC.

The immediate action taken by Ms. Go is to unduly terminate the twenty-five (25) athletes and three (3) coaches, representing 95% of the National Pool, who filed the complaint.This act is in direct violation of paragraph no. 25 of the POC-PSC-NSA Tripartite Agreement dated 11 January 1993.

Consequently, we were put on floating status pending the resolution of the complaint. Likewise, we have been verbally informed by POC that all trainings have to be discontinued and were denied access to the dragon boats situated at the CCP’s dock site. Worse, our South East Asian Games (SEAGames) berth has been revoked and our allowances and benefits, from which we derive our meagre income, were put on hold pending the final determination of the case by the POC Arbitration Committee.

PCKF officials also released Memorandum Circular no. 08-2013 [attached] effectively banning the coaches and athletes from the CCP training site, as well as all PCKF-sanctioned or managed activities. A number of these coaches and athletes are also handling recreational teams of their own for added income, but the ban renders them unable to perform their duties to the teams that they are handling.

There are no allegations against us coaches and athletes, and we have actually satisfied the qualification criteria for the SEAG. The investigation is, in fact, directed towards the NSA officials with us as the complainants.

Our sole request of the athletes and coaches is an investigation of two (2) of our officials in the PCKF. We have no wish whatsoever to separate from our fine organization.

We have already sent letters to the Philippine Sports Commission and the Arbitration Committee of the POC requesting for provisional reliefs and immediate disposition of the case based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds but our request fell on deaf ears.

The POC and PCKF may have the right and power to determine its organization and membership. However, we feel that it is unjust for us to be stripped of our basic benefits and our well-deserved opportunity to represent the country in the SEAGames, just because we chose to bring to light the anomalies that we have experienced at the hands of our officials – the supposed stewards of our Sport.

We followed strict protocol, stretched our forbearance and good faith in our sports governing bodies, even as five (5) months have passed without rendering a proper investigation and resolution.

On 06 November, the Arbitration Committee released an official “recommendation,” [attached] claiming to only be a recommending body, rather than the Arbitration Committee that it is named. The recommendation fails to address the issue of the misused funds but at the same time recommends that there be better auditing. According to the Arbitration Committee, the POC Board, of which respondent Jonne Go is a member, will have to give its final decision based on their recommendation.

Although many POC Board Meetings have passed and follow-ups have been written, the POC Board has yet to release their final decision, and the athletes and coaches remain uncertain and without compensation.

Meanwhile, the PCKF carries on as usual, having formed a “new” National Team, organizing events and sending canoe and kayak delegates to the SEAG.

Why the Dragon Boat should have been included in the SEAGames:

The Dragon Boat Team was, in fact, already included in the SEAGames roster. This inclusion was officially announced by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), and we were informed that the PSC had already submitted the Entry-by-Number, thereby reserving slots for the Dragon Boat Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Teams.

This decision was made by the POC based on the Dragon Boat Team’s performance record in the previous SEAGames, as well as the World Championships and other international competitions. (See no.’s 2 and 3)

Also, considered was the Athlete-to-Medal Ratio. The event of Dragon Boat does require a large delegation of forty (40) athletes, but there are a total of eighteen (18) medals at stake in Dragon Boat alone.

Standing in previous SEA Games:

	G	S	B
2005	6	--	--
2007	--	2	--
2009	NA	NA	NA
2011	1	2	2

·         The 2009 SEA Games did not field a Dragon Boat Event.

1)   Standing in other international competitions:

			G	S	B
2007	IDBF World Championships	Sydney, Australia	1	1	2
2008	ADBF Asian Championships	Penang, Malaysia	1	8	--
2009	IDBF World Championships	Prague, Czech Republic	2	--	--
2012	Asian Beach Games	Haiyang, China	--	2	1
2012	ICF World Championships	Milan, Italy	6	1	--

·         In the 2007World Championships in Australia, Team Philippines set a new World Record in the 200-metre Premier Open Event.

·         In the 2009 World Championships in the Czech Republic, Team Philippines broke their own World Record in the same event.

·         Also in the 2009 World Championships in the Czech Republic, Team Philippines setanother World Record in the 200-metre Premier Mixed Event.

·         The record times in both events have NOT been broken to date. Team Philippines still holds the World Record in both events.

The 2012 DBS Marina Regatta in Singaporeserved as a Pre-SEA Games Event for South East Asia’s top seeded Dragon Boat Teams, namely Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines. The results of which are very promising:

·         In the Women’s 500m, Team Philippines placed 2^nd, only 0.56 seconds after Gold medallist Myanmar

·         In the Women’s 200m, Team Philippines placed 3^rd, only 0.67 seconds after Gold medallist Indonesia

·         In the Men’s 500m, Team Philippines placed 3^rd, only 0.61 seconds after Gold medallist Myanmar

·         In the Men’s 200m, Team Philippines placed 2^nd, only 0.30 seconds after Gold medallist Indonesia.

Volleyball must take its cue from dragon boat.

TULOY ANG VOLLEYSERYE

courtesy of emsd63.org

Humantong na sa isang paglilitis ang gulo sa pagitan ng PVF at POC / LVPI. Magbibiigay na ng kani-kanilang testimonya sa korte ang ilan sa mga pangunahing tauhan ng volleyserye. Isasalang sa witness stand at isasailalim sa cross-examination ang iba. Sadyang kaabang-abang ang susunod na mangyayari sa di matapus-tapos na volleyserye.

Subalit ang tunay na kapanapanabik para sa akin ay ang pagtutok ng international community sa Philippine volleyball. Mas kaabang-abang para sa akin ang magiging tugon at reaksyon ng international community sa kaganapan ng volleyserye. Sa sunud-sunod na paglutang ng mga katiwalian sa mundo ng palakasan, umaasa ako na masisilip at magkakaroon ng puwang sa mga mata ng mga banyaga ang nangyayari sa Philippine volleyball.

Ituturing kong isang malaking tagumpay para sa mga atleta at mga nagmamahal sa Philippine volleyball ang mapansin man lang ng international community ang volleyserye.. Makamit man ang katarungan o hindi, ang mas mahalaga para sa akin ay ang mapansin ang katiwalian sa Philippine volleyball at makita ito ng buong mundo. Ang mahalaga, pumutok ang volleyserye sa kamalayan ng tao sa bawat sulok ng mundo.

NOT COJUANGCO NOR ROMASANTA BUT SUZARA

courtesy of spin.ph

After a year of existence, it is but natural to ask who is gaining the most from the establishment of Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas Inc. (LVPI) as the new volleyball federation.

1. Is it the national team ? Definitely not as there is no national team to speak of under LVPI.

2. Is it the players ? With LVPI having no national team program and series of activities, players suffer the most under LVPI.

3. Is it Peping Cojuangco ? With the dismantling of Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF), Peping Cojuangco has lost a national federation that consistently votes against him during POC elections and gained one which will vote for him in the coming POC election.

4. Is it Joey Romasanta ? Well, he became LVPI president despite earlier pronouncements that he is not interested in the position. Recently, he became AVC Board Member. Certainly, Romasanta has gained so much power merely after a year through LVPI.

5. Is it Tats Suzara ? Sportscore, where Suzara is President and CEO, has been awarded the hosting rights of the Asian Women's Club Championship and World Women's Club Championship by AVC and FIVB. Never did Suzara win two hosting rights to two major AVC and FIVB events under PVF. But under LVPI, Suzara has been awarded not just one but two events. There are also plans for Suzara to create Southeast Asia Club League with the help of Shanrit Wongprasert now that LVPI rules over Philippine volleyball.

So, who do you think worked hard to put LVPI in place ? Of course, he who stands to gain the most.

WHY THE NEED TO SEND THE PRETTIEST PLAYERS TO THAI-DENMARK SUPER LEAGUE ?

courtesy of pantip.com

I just read in the The Philippine Daily Inquirer that the organizers of Thai-Denmark Super League requested the Philippines to send the prettiest players to the tournament. The request  should not be well-taken by the Filipino volleyball community. The request is a downright insult.

1. It belittles the playing abilities of our women volleyball players. The organizers think that the Filipinas are mere pretty faces and are best used to merely attract viewership. The organizers think that people watch Filipinas only for their good looks and not their playing skills.

2. It propagates the belief that ugly people don't have a place in the universe.

3.  It tramples the right of the Philippines to send anyone it chooses to send. The organizers' over-emphasis on beauty dictates a certain type of player that must make up the Philippine team.

4. It promotes a wrong culture in sports. Sports is all about excellence in a particular sport and not about physical attributes.

While PSL President Tats Suzara takes the invitation to the Thai-Denmark Super League as a compliment and an indication of the high regard of the organizers to the Philippine team, I see it more as an insult to the Filipino spikers who have more to offer than good looks.

MY TWO SIMPLE QUESTIONS FOR TATS SUZARA

I came across several newspaper reports about Tats Suzara's cash advances in Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) amounting to more than 3M in 1999. Suzara, according to the reports, used the cash advances to train a pool of national athletes and coaches in Australia. His cash advances were so controversial that in 2000, it was included in a graft case filed by a PSC commissioner who blew the whistle on other PSC officials. The case was even heard at the senate with Sen. Jaworski leading the investigation. Tats Suzara was eventually cleared by Ombudsman Aniano Desierto of any wrongdoing with regards to the cash advances.

But what intrigues me is Suzara's refusal to answer two questions that I have thrown at him for a week now. I asked him several times, through Philippine Superliga and his colleagues, where the training was held and what particular sport was involved in the training. Suzara chooses not to respond. 

In the other clipping above, Suzara told reporter Joel Orellana that the 3M cash advances were reimbursements for a seminar attended by a pool of national athletes and coaches in Darwin, Australia. More specifically, he cited Victoria Institute as the venue where his Filipino athletes and coaches had a seminar for two months. Victoria Institute was only established in 2011 making it impossible for Suzara and his contingent to have had a seminar in the institute in 1999. Moreover. it is in Melbourne and not in Darwin. Victorian Institute of Sports (VIS), on the other hand, appears more likely to be the place to train elite athletes. But VIS is in Melbourne as well and not in Darwin.

But what intrigues me the most is the email that VIS sent me.  Since Suzara refuses to answer my questions, I decided to ask VIS myself about the training  The email was sent to me last February 16, 2016..

Hi Eric,

Thank you for contacting the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS). In response to your question, a visiting group of officials from the Philippines attended VIS in the past for a tour and a discussion. However, we do not have a record of which individuals attended or the exact date of the visit.

I hope this information is of assistance to you.

Kind Regards,

Mathew

The lack of details concerning the "tour and discussion" of Filipino officials is quite understandable if the visit took place 16 years ago. And if it was only a two-hour visit and discussion, chances are, records could be missing after 16 years. But the email is revealing in the sense that it does not mention in any way, any seminar or training of Filipino athletes and coaches that lasted for two months. What it mentions is merely a tour and discussion involving officials.

Will Tats Suzara now answer my two simple questions to finally clear the issue? I certainly hope so. The Filipino sports community, after all, deserves that much.

I  will  be extremely happy to post the answers that Suzara will give.