Fair Play: It's time to revive the Philippine Volleyball Federation
KNOWING how the Philippine Olympic Committee and other Johnny-come-latelies stepped in to solve the supposed mess that was Philippine volleyball, it’s quite surprising how they are all silent at the way how things are going on in the volleyball scene.
Double standard? Perhaps.
Think of it this way. If it was the Philippine Volleyball Federation--the deposed national sports association--making the bungling moves--they’d be shoved off the door so fast they’d wonder what hit them. Kind of like the way they were blindsided last January.
So, what’s the latest news out of Manila regarding the women’s national team?
Well, there was the coach, who wasn’t supposed to coach, but then again decided to accept the coaching job days before the team was to leave for a tournament because no one else was willing to take the job.
OK. I have nothing against Roger Gorayeb of Tai Bundit of Thailand--who both have professed admiration for each other’s abilities publicly--but the fact that the appointment of the coach was as transparent as and as fragrant as the flood in Colon street should have raised a lot of questions and eyebrows right?
So far, none has been raised and the Ligang Volleyball ng Pilipinas is still a picture of serenity as far as Manila and the bigwigs of Philippine sports are concerned.
Then there’s the player lineup. And in case you are thinking I’m question the abilities of the players who made the lineup, I’m not. Again, weeks before the tournament, the LVP couldn’t make up their mind who to send in the VTV Invitational Volleyball Cup in Vietnam.
Worse, four of those who were included who are with the Armed Forces of the Philippines were barred from leaving because they don’t have permission from their military teams.
Getting a release or permission from teams from the AFP is all about procedure and paperwork, that the LVP overlooked shows how inadequately prepared they are to send a team to a tournament in Vietnam. And didn’t LVP only decide to send a team to the Vietnam tournament when PVF announced it was going to send a team of its own?
And now look at how it has bungled its way in preparation and everyone of the Johnny-come-latelies are looking the other way. Not a “Get-your-house-in-order” statement from good old’ POC chairman Peping Cojuangco, who started the move to oust PVF last year.
Now where does this leave volleyball stakeholders left hanging out in the open for the past 10 months in the political intramurals that hit the Manila volleyball scene?
If you a scene in a movie where a guy is in the sidelines, with his mouth wide open, looking right and left and left and right as the two main protagonists fight for gold, well that’s you, the stakeholder in the province.
What can you do? Nothing?
Nope. You have the power, not the Manila-based stakeholders whose interest in the sport is not the same as you.
Revive the Philippine Volleyball Federation, with emphasis on “Philippine” because the version the LVPI have of the country is limited to the National Capital Region.
POC-recognition? Well, you can tell Peping to shove that up his behind, POC-recognition is not what you should be after, but development of volleyball outside of Manila, something LVPI is not willing to address.
And if POC, LVPI come knocking with threats once you start the move, bang the door in their faces after saying, “You ignore us all the time and now that we decided to unite you come knocking?”
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