GOODBYE LVPI ?

Mahigit apat na taon nang namamayagpag ang Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas Incorporated (LVPI) bilang National Sports Association (NSA) sa volleyball sa bansa. Bumuo at nagpadala ito ng mga pambansang koponan sa iba't-ibang mahahalagang torneo. Sa tulong ng Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), nanatiling NSA ang LVPI mula 2015 hanggang sa kasalukuyan.

Subalit sa paglabas ng 36th FIVB World Congress Minutes and Appendices, maliwanag na tapos na ang mga araw ng pamamayagpag ng LVPI. Batay sa nasabing dokumento, mismong ang FIVB ang nagsasabi at nagdedeklara na Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF) ang miyembro at wala nang kaugnayan pa ang LVPI sa FIVB. Sa deklarasyon ito, nangangahulugan na wala ng karapatan ang LVPI na bumuo at magpadala ng pambansang koponan sa ano mang torneo.

Sakaling magmatigas ang POC at patuloy pa rin nitong kilalanin ang LVPI at mismong LVPI ang manindigan na ito ang NSA sa volleyball, nanganganib na di makapaglaro ang mga koponan ng LVPI sa mahaba-habang panahon. Ang maari lamang lumahok na koponan ng bansa ay yung binuo ng PVF dahil ito ang miyembro ng FIVB. Sa ganitong sitwasyon, ang mga atleta at coaches ang higit na apektado.

Marahil, panahon na para tanggapin ng LVPI na tapos na ang mga araw ng panunungkulan nito bilang isang NSA. Alang-alang sa mga atleta, coaches at bansa, magparaya na sana ang LVPI. Sa ganitong paraan, makikita ng lahat na ang lubusang kapakanan ng mga atleta, coaches at bansa ang tunay na pinahahalagahan nito.

THE 36TH FIVB WORLD CONGRESS MINUTES AND ITS IMPACT TO PHILIPPINE VOLLEYBALL

For almost a year, the 36th FIVB World Congress Minutes was kept a secret and away from public scrutiny, particularly the Filipino volleyball community. And for understandable reasons. The minutes reveal  several important facts that adversely affect FIVB, AVC, POC and LVPI.

1. The minutes categorically state that PVF is not excluded from FIVB and that LVPI is not affiliated to the world-governing body for volleyball. These clearly confirm that it is PVF that is recognized by FIVB and must be the National Federation for volleyball in the Philippines. Not LVPI.

2. LVPI cannot remain provisionally recognized anymore by FIVB as the FIVB General Assembly voted to keep PVF as the one and only true member of FIVB for the Philippines. There can only be one member to FIVB per country as per FIVB Constitution. LVPI likewise cannot form and send teams to AVC and FIVB events as it is not affiliated to FIVB.

3. By virtue of what the minutes declare, POC  does not have a choice but to recognize and reinstate PVF. POC, according to its own Constitution, must recognize and affirm the institution that is recognized by its International Federation. It cannot recognize an institution that is not affiliated to its International Federation. Thus, POC must recognize PVF and not LVPI.

4. The FIVB decision to keep PVF and exclude LVPI took effect November 2018. But FIVB BA cleverly prevented any FIVB official document from leaking out to reveal this very important fact. Thus, FIVB BA, POC and LVPI were able to do what they please without the public knowing the real deal. Only now that the minutes came out that people realize the injustice perpetrated by the very institutions tasked to protect and serve the sport well.

The unexpected emergence of the 36th FIVB World Congress Minutes truly clarify several important points that FIVB BA, AVC, POC and LVPI obviously want to remain unclear. The minutes and its clarifications hopefully will serve the bigger purpose of truth and justice not only to PVF but to the Filipino athletes as well as people in general.

TEDDY TEO ZI HAO: THE BEST STUDENT - ATHLETE THAT SINGAPORE HAS TO OFFER

courtesy of VAS

Teddy Theo Zi Hao, at 21 years old, is the current team captain of the Singapore Men's National Volleyball Team. The Mechanical Engineering student of National University of Singapore (NUS) is in Manila with the entire team for a series of games in preparation to the 30th SEA Games which will be held in December.

In an exclusive interview, Teddy expresses his sentiments as a top student-athlete from Singapore. Here are his revelations.

1. When did you start playing volleyball?
I started playing in primary school at eight years old. In Singapore, students are required to have a co-curricular activity. I got into volleyball because I could receive the ball well.

2. How did you become a part of the national team?
A coach saw me playing at a local tournament.

3. What do you find difficult in being a student-athlete?
In Singapore, studies come first. We spend 8-10 hours in school. After that, we train for 3 hours. It is hard to do well in school and training.

4. How do you find Coach Dennis Janzen who is a highly successful American volleyball coach?
He is amazing. He was able to get the young players to join the team. To see volleyball from an American coach is an eye-opener for the team.

5. What are your expectations for the 30th SEA Games in Manila?
As of now, our goal is to get exposure and experience as much as possible. Our team is very young. I am the oldest at 21. As much as we want a podium finish in this year's SEA Games, our goal is to do well 2-3 years from now.

6. What does the team need right now for it to do well in all its tournaments?
We definitely need exposure overseas. We must compete with foreign teams to improve our game. Even if we lose, we learn. And that is what is important for us right now.

7. Do you have plans of becoming a professional volleyball player?
If the opportunity is there, I will definitely take it. But as of now, it is all about studies and playing for Singapore.

8. What advice can you give young kids who dream of becoming a volleyball player like you and represent their country?
I think it is important to be committed, focused and humble. Listen to the advice of people who know the sport so you can improve your game.

NA-TAP NG TATAP ANG ISANG TRO

Nagtala ng unang panalo ang Table Tennis Association of the Philippines (TATAP) sa kampanya nitong makabalik bilang isang National Sports Association (NSA).

Naglabas ng Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) ang Gensan Regional Trial Court Branch 37 nitong September 2, 2019 na nagpapatigil sa Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) sa pagkilala sa Philippine Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) bilang NSA para sa table tennis. Ang TRO ay nagbabawal rin sa PTTF na kumilos bilang isang NSA.

Matatandaan na ang gulo sa pagitan ng TATAP at PTTF ay nagsimula pa noong 2012 kung saan itinalaga ni dating POC President Jose Cojuangco Jr. si Ledesma bilang TATAP president. Noong 2016, tinatag ni Ledesma ang PTTF na siyang kinilala ni Cojuangco bilang bagong NSA sa table tennis. Biglang natanggal ang TATAP bilang NSA noong 2016 at patuloy na di kinikila ng pamunuan ng POC hanggang sa kasalukuyan.

Ayon kay POC President Bambol Tolentino. susunod ang POC sa desisyon ng korte. Isasangguni rin ni Tolentino sa POC Executive Board kung ano ang magiging hakbang ng POC kaugnay sa TRO. 

Nakatakda ang hearing para sa injunction sa September 9, 2019.

THE BIGGEST VICTORY OF PDBF

The Philippines, through Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF), came home victorious after winning four gold, two silver and four bronze medals at the 14th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championship in Pattaya, Thailand. The Philippines finished 8th out of thirty countries to proudly qualify for the 2020 Dragon  Boat World Cup

The PDBF teams overcame the lack of resources to really bring pride and honor to the country. It came to a point that the paddlers did not have anything to eat for dinner and slept on empty stomachs. For breakfast, the teams shared left-over rice and sardines. It was the Filipino community in Thailand that provided lunch that sustained the paddlers in the afternoon.

But the biggest victory of PDBF was over the injustice it was suffering back home. Despite the absence of recognition and support from POC and PSC, PDBF was able to perform well and win several medals in the highly competitive tournament. PDBF showed that dreams cannot be crushed even by the harshest conditions and injustice. The resiliency of PDBF is what made its campaign in the world championships truly exceptional and worthy of praise and recognition.

The biggest victory of PDBF goes beyond the medals won. It is more about the triumph of the human spirit over injustice and great difficulty. PDBF is a true winner indeed.

AN IOC SUSPENSION IS THE ONLY SOLUTION LEFT FOR POC

courtesy of Wikipedia

Through the years, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) committed grave abuse of power and cases of corruption to the detriment of Philippine sports. And POC gets away with it in connivance with the POC General Assembly (GA) that continues to be a rubber stamp of the POC leadership. POC has failed to serve its true purpose through the years that an IOC suspension through government intervention now becomes the best and only solution left to save Philippine sports.

An IOC suspension can be positive according to former POC President Cristy Ramos in a recent interview. An IOC suspension, in fact, will allow a complete overhaul of the dysfunctional POC, which is badly needed at this time. It will give government the opportunity to clean up the different NSA's through an election where only the true stakeholders can vote and decide the fate of a particular sport. This will prevent the likes of Romasanta, Tamayo and Jonne Go from occupying the presidency in any NSA as they do not belong to any club or association affiliated with any NSA. As things stand now, majority of the NSA presidents are not legitimate stakeholders of their NSA's. Thus, an IOC suspension will address this problem.

An IOC suspension likewise will not prevent Filipino athletes from participating in the SEA Games, Asian Games and Olympic Games. Our athletes can still participate in the Games but not under the Philippine flag. They will just have to play under a different flag.

Lastly, an IOC suspension can easily be lifted. The country merely has to comply with the requirements set by IOC for reinstatement.  An IOC suspension is temporary and not permanent.

POC has come to a point where it is beyond repair via its members. Drastic times call for drastic action. An IOC suspension will create a death that will usher in a new life. Government must truly consider stepping in to solicit an IOC suspension to save Philippine sports and the athletes that it is duty-bound to protect and serve.

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT POC PRESIDENT PART 2 ?

In yet another strange turn of events, Romasanta and majority of the POC board resigned yesterday. Romasanta, Camacho, Jonne Go, Cynthia Carrion, Clint Aranas and Peping Cojuangco resigned to pave the way for a general election. A general election is set on July 5 to fill up the vacant position in POC.

With the general election set, there is hope for a better POC in the days ahead. For the longest time, POC has been the home of too much politics to the point that it has affected the athletes and NSA's negatively. The person who will become the next POC president will undoubtedly set the direction of POC. Thus, the position of POC president is most crucial.

PVF Managing Director Dr. Otie Camangian enumerates the qualities he looks for in the next POC president. He says that the next POC president must have unquestionable integrity and is a good family man. The NSA of the next POC president must have support from government and private sectors that are vital in sustaining various projects and undertakings. Lastly, he or she must also have a five year program that will greatly improve mass and elite sports.

This early, several personalities appear to be front-runners for the POC presidency. Gen. Lucas Managuelod appears to be a solid candidate His muay thai federation continue to produce world champions. Bambol Tolentino was instrumental in the sudden call for new leaders in POC. He can figure prominently in the race as well.

Of course, the Peping bloc can field in its own presidential candidate.But after recent events, it will be hard for the candidates of Peping to pick up the pieces and make one final go for the POC leadership. People have simply had enough of Cojuangco and his allies.The time really has come for new leadership in POC.