The Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) is proposing a major structural shift in how players are selected and managed for the women’s national team, with plans to allow Alas Pilipinas to take part in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Rookie Draft.
PNVF president Tonyboy Liao said the proposal is part of an ongoing partnership discussion with PVL stakeholders and club owners, including Rebisco, SGA, and Akari, aimed at addressing long-standing conflicts between club and national team schedules.
Under the plan, the national team—now under newly appointed head coach Tai Bundit—will be given the first pick in the PVL draft, regardless of draft position.
All players selected by Alas Pilipinas will report directly to the national team and will no longer be owned or contracted by any club during their initial years.
“These players will go straight to the national team,” Liao explained. “Once they are picked, their role will be ‘national team, PNVF.’ PNVF will handle and pay their salaries—not the club teams.”
According to Liao, players drafted to Alas Pilipinas will serve a three-year period exclusively under the national team program before becoming eligible to re-enter the draft system. During this time, they will not be affiliated with any PVL club, effectively eliminating the long-standing “loan” arrangement where clubs release contracted players to the national team.
In previous seasons, national team duties often clashed with club obligations, as PVL’s calendar typically runs from October to May, while the national team competes from May to October. Clubs, which pay players’ salaries, have raised concerns over releasing athletes for extended national team duties.
“This setup has always been unfair,” Liao said. “The clubs pay the players, but the national team uses them. With this solution, there will be no more ‘hiraman’ issues because the players are truly national team players.”
Liao added that the new system will focus heavily on younger athletes coming from universities, allowing Alas Pilipinas to train continuously with minimal interruptions, except during collegiate seasons.
However, he acknowledged challenges for the upcoming PVL Women’s Cup, set to begin on June 6, just weeks after the PVL Finals on April 28.
Due to the limited preparation window, PNVF plans to formally request that players from the recent Alas Pilipinas pool—around 19 athletes—be allowed to compete in the Women’s Cup and the CVE tournament in July. Three university standouts—Angel Canino, Shaina Nitura, and Amie Provido—will also be included in the request.
Liao stressed that this transitional setup would likely be the last time PVL-contracted players suit up for the national team, unless their club contracts have already expired and they choose to commit fully to Alas Pilipinas.
The official shared that PVL leadership expressed full support for the proposal, seeing it as a win-win solution for both the national team and the league.
“At least now, the PVL is giving way for the national team,” Liao said. “This ensures the national team’s training schedule will no longer be interrupted—and that’s better for Philippine volleyball in the long run.”
