PNVF proposes giving Alas Pilipinas priority picks in PVL Draft

The Philippine National Volleyball Federation is considering the possibility of granting Alas Pilipinas' head coach Tai Bundit the option to pick first in the in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Draft.

PNVF president Tonyboy Liao revealed that the volleyball body has already proposed the move to the league to address the recurring challenge of borrowing players from their mother clubs whenever the national team competes internationally.

"I think with this solution, we won’t have any problem anymore in the future na manghihiram tayo ng players from the clubs," Liao said in a press conference on Tuesday at PNVF Office in BGC, Taguig.

(I think with this solution, we won't have any problem anymore in the future about borrowing players from the clubs.)

Liao explained that Bundit would have the privilege of picking first from the draft pool, with all his selections going directly and exclusively into the Alas Pilipinas training pool for at least two years.

Liao added that the PNVF would cover the salaries of the players selected, freeing them from any contractual obligations to their mother clubs and allowing them to focus fully on representing Alas Pilipinas in international competitions.

"Ang unang pipili national team. Let’s say labindalawa ‘yung pinili and for example, there are 40 players (in the draft pool), ang matitira doon ay 28, doon lang magsisimula mag-pick (ang PVL teams)," Liao said.

"Hindi na kasama ‘yung dose. Automatic, ‘yung dose hindi siya member ng club, member sila ng national team kasi number one, wala siyang kontrata, and number two, hindi siya susweldo sa club."

(The first to select will be the national team. Let's say 12 players are selected and for example, there are 40 players in the draft pool, what's left is 28 and that's where the PVL teams will begin to pick... The 12 will no longer be part of it. Automatic, the 12 will not be members of clubs, they will be members of the national team because number one, they won't have club contracts, and number two, they won't receive salaries from clubs.)

Liao emphasized that the move aligns with both the club's and national team's calendars. The club season runs from October to May, while the national team’s schedule takes over from May to October.

"So meaning to say, if it’s the national team calendar, players in the club who are part of the national team should report to the national team," Liao said.

"But the problem there is that the clubs will always say ‘kami ang nagpapasuweldo, may kontrata sa amin pero kayo gumagamit’. But with this one, you can solve the problem of that case."

(But the problem there is that the clubs will always say, 'we are the ones who pay salary, they have contracts with us but you are the ones playing them'. But with this one, you can solve the problem of that case.)

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News