CAGAYAN Rising Suns coach Nestor Pamiliar was ready to talk volleyball moments after his team survived a grueling five-set scare from a gutsy Meralco team in the quarterfinals of the open conference of the Shakey’s V-League. His team remained undefeated in nine games and looked poised to march into the finals.
Pamiliar was upbeat about his recent international volleyball coaching stint with a women’s team that finished 12th in the Asian Volleyball Championships (AVC) in Thailand. It wasn’t so much that the team picked up two wins and lost four but rather that the Philippines was back playing volleyball in foreign competitions. This came on the heels of another team coached by Roger Gorayeb that played in the Southeast Asian Zonal Qualifier.
Local sports politics prevented the formation and maintenance of a competitive national team in recent years. Despite the game’s resurgence because of the V-League and the collegiate games, turf wars ripped apart hopes for any decent team. This was ironic considering that the team was a power in Southeast Asia for the longest time. But luckily more prudent movers managed to get funding and a sponsor to send a team to the AVC.
“Hindi naman pala tayo nalalayo sa tangkad o sa skills ng mga taga Southeast Asia maliban sa Thailand (We aren’t lacking in height or skills compared to Southeast Asian countries except Thailand),” Pamiliar explained outside the locker room of his team as his players would take his hand and mano or put Pamiliar’s hand on their forehead as they bid their coach adieu.
The AVC was clearly an eye-opener. “Importante ang international exposure sa pag-develop ng team. Sana ituloy nila, hindi naman kailangang ako ang mag-coach niyan (International exposure is important to develop a team. I hope they continue with it. I don’t have to be the coach),” explained Pamiliar
The team could have had more time and other players to beef up the lineup but the spirited play of the team with stars like Angie Tabaquero, Pau Soriano and Chie Saet caught the interest of many foreign teams including powerhouse China. Pamiliar mentioned an Italian consultant who wanted to know how we trained our players because the natural athleticism of the Filipinos was a marvel to watch.
Pamiliar, who’s laid-back, no-frills coaching has earned him a UAAP women’s title with Far Eastern University and a stint with the men’s youth team, is aware that a lot of time and sacrifice will be needed to compete against the big guns like China, Japan and Korea.
“Dapat realistic tayo at mag-concentrate tayo sa Southeast Asia, gaya sa SEA Games. Matagal pa bago tayo makakasabay sa top teams. Pero ngayon natin laruin nang laruin ang Vietnam at Indonesia habang mahina sila (We have to be realistic and concentrate on the Southeast Asian region, like in the SEA Games. It will take a while before we can compete against the top teams. But now is the time to play Vietnam and Indonesia while they’re struggling),” Pamiliar emphasized.
The essential thing is that the Philippines is back in international volleyball. To take advantage of the game’s immense popularity and rich reservoir of players, decision-makers must continue to create the opportunities to prepare competitive teams. Volleyball is a sport where Filipinos can go toe-to-toe with anybody in Asia because of their natural skill and enthusiasm for the game.
The players are ready. Just tell them when and where they will play.