Farm Fresh appeals to PVL to let Alohi Robins-Hardy play

Alohi Robins-Hardy and Farm Fresh Foxies officials during a press conference on Thursday. –ANGEL DUKHA II

Farm Fresh still hopes that the PVL will allow its embattled playmaker Alohi Robins-Hardy to suit up in the 2024-25 All-Filipino Conference that kicks off on Saturday.

The league has previously decided that if Robins-Hardy would play in the PVL, she has to undergo the Rookie Draft as the Filipino-American has only played before in the defunct Philippine SuperLiga for Cignal in 2020, a year before the league turned professional.

“Boss Frank [Lao] asked president Ricky Palou if it’s possible na ma-recruit namin siya (Robins-Hardy). Ang sabi nga, yes okay as long as may Philippine passport,” Farm Fresh team manager CK Kanapi-Daniolco said in a press conference in San Juan City.

READ: PVL says Farm Fresh’s Alohi Robins-Hardy ineligible to play

“We explained kung bakit namin pinursue si Alohi is because even after the draft, ‘yung team namin [is only] six or seven players deep and we wanted to be competitive,” Kanapi-Daniolco added.

Farm Fresh said that there was a prior “gentleman’s agreement” between team owner Frank Lao and Palou which is where the businessman was coming from in pursuing the services of Robins-Hardy.

WATCH: Farm Fresh airs its side on the Alohi Hardy-Robins issue. The setter can be seen wearing a Foxies shirt and admits to have been training with the team. | @ThirdyINQ pic.twitter.com/itkl4OG44n

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) November 7, 2024

According to Kanapi-Daniolco, the Sports Vision president agreed to allow the playmaker as long as she presents a Philippine passport which she presented to the media/

READ: Verdict is out: Alohi Robins-Hardy not a PVLfree agent

“Alam namin ‘yung rules pero nag-ask kami kasi kung sinabi namang hindi, hindi namin ipu-pursue but sinabing yes. Fifty-fifty nga sa isip namin because 2021 naman talaga she was supposed to play [for the HD Spikers], hindi lang siya naka-secure ng passport kasi nagka-pandemic,” Kanapi-Daniolco explained.

“I’m assuming since kapag sinabi mo kasing Cignal, iniisip mo nasa PVL na, baka ‘yun ang inisip niya na ‘oh sige basta may Philippine passport’ not realizing na hindi pala sa PVL ‘yun.”

FILE–Alohi Robins-Hardy during her time with Cignal in the defunct PSL. –INQUIRER PHOTO

“That’s why kami nag-tanong kami. We asked and he said yes. Ang point lang din namin, if for example natanong na rin namin ‘yun, there are so many days na pwede namang balikan kami [para sabihin] na ay hindi pala pwede kasi hindi siya naglaro ng PVL.”

READ: PVL: Alohi Robins-Hardy set for PH return, joins Farm Fresh

With the first agreement no longer standing, Farm Fresh tried another avenue to push Robins-Hardy’s eligibility by talking to the 11 other teams if they had no issue with the Foxies having the setter.

“Sa amin, inassume lang namin na pwede siya dahil nga sinabi ng president. Moving forward nung nag-announce na kami, kinausap namin si sir RIcky and inadmit naman niya,” Kanapi-Daniolco recalled.

In a document shown by Farm Fresh, sister team ZUS Coffee, Chery Tiggo, PLDT, Petro Gazz and Galeries Tower have signed a “No Objection Certificate” before Palou once again said that it will no longer be possible for Robins-Hardy to play for the Foxies.

“That’s why napunta tayo sa isang solution na supposedly ‘yung no objection certificate, which na-stop na rin kasi sinabi na it was decided PVL na hindi talaga palalaruin and she has to go through the draft,” she said.

During this offseason, Farm Fresh has also signed seasoned hitter Rachel Anne Daquis and longtime Cignal libero Jheck Dionela. The Foxies will debut in the six-month long conference on Nov. 16 against the HD Spikers at Ynares Center in Antipolo City.