Newly-minted Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) president Tony Boy Liao believes the Alas Pilipinas squads have a good shot of reaching the podium in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, which officially start December 9 in Thailand.
The men's team last won a SEA Games medal in 2019 here in the Philippines, settling for silver after bowing to Indonesia.
The women's indoor squad last clinched a medal, a bronze in 2005 in Bacolod. The Filipinas then fell short of the podium four straight times from 2017 to 2023.
The beach teams fared better, with the men clinching a bronze in 2023 Cambodia, while the women got the same in 2021 Vietnam.
@onesportsphl ‘I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVE A VERY GOOD PERFORMANCE’ 🇵🇭🏐 PNVF President Tony Boy Liao expresses confidence in the potential of Alas Pilipinas to achieve a very good performance in the fiercely contested SEA Games volleyball tournament. | via Luisa Morales/One Sports #OSOnTheSpot #AlasPilipinas #SEAGamesThailand #TibayAtTatag
? original sound - OneSportsPHL
Alas Pilipinas Men: Returning to action after FIVB Worlds
The Alas Pilipinas Men are on a high, getting a maiden victory in the FIVB Men's World Championship against Egypt before falling to a heartbreaking challenge in the extended fifth set against Iran.
Coach Angiolino Frigoni's squad remained mostly intact, even spending a two-week training camp in Taiwan.
UST's Al-Bukharie Sali is the new face for Alas, injecting fresh blood for the roster.
Standout Bryan Bagunas, who has since played for his new Japanese powerhouse team Osaka Bluteon, has been tapped as one of the Philippine flagbearers.
Bagunas' firepower, which was shown in the World Championship, is expected to be key once again for Alas in the SEA Games. Marck Espejo and Josh Ybañez would be relied on for receiving with their stellar performance in the world stage.
[ALSO READ: Bagunas, Retamar, Ybanez, Espejo of Alas among top individual performers in FIVB MWCH pool]
"Tingin ko, mas prepared 'yung mga lalake," Liao said during the SEA Games sendoff. "Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, malalakas 'yan eh. We are preparing for them."
This intact team, which has blossomed under Frigoni, clinched bronze in both legs of the 2024 SEA V.League.
The Alas Men have been drawn in Pool B with Indonesia and Myanmar. Cambodia has withdrawn from the tournament.
This leaves the Philippines with little room for error to reach the top two of the group, who would qualify for the knockout crossover semifinals.
The gold medalist will also clinch a berth to the 2026 Asian Championship.
The men start their campaign on December 13 in Group B against Myanmar.
Alas Pilipinas Women: Seeking stability
After a stunning silver medal run in the 2025 AVC Women's Nations, along with bronze medal finishes in both the 2024 and 2025 editions of the SEA V.League, the Alas Pilipinas Women found themselves pressed for complete training time when it comes to the SEA Games.
[ALSO READ: Rising aces: A timeline of Alas Pilipinas Women’s accomplishments ahead of SEA Games 2025]
Though Alas was given two days per week to practice during the PVL Reinforced Conference, the squad was often not at full strength due to club commitments.
By the start of December though, Alas training attendees grew in number with Jia de Guzman, Bella Belen, Angel Canino, Shaina Nitura, Vanie Gandler, Eya Laure, Alyssa Solomon, Mars Alba, Maddie Madayag, and Dawn Catindig.
[ALSO READ: Alas lineup for SEA Games already submitted in September, says new PNVF president Liao]
The road is tougher for the women, drawn in Pool A with Thailand and Singapore.
The Philippines needs to finish inside the top two to reach the knockout crossover semifinals... which could potentially lead to a clash against Indonesia or Vietnam.
For Liao, Alas Women's chance to finally return to the podium after 20 years could lie on whether Vietnam would leave top scorer Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen out of their lineup.
According to Vietnam Net, Bich Tuyen's name was absent from the training camp call-up. The federation also admitted they don't have their strongest line-up, prompting an adjustment in medal goals.
"I think we have a good chance," Liao said. "Even sa SEA V.League, we were really giving them a good fight. Now without that player, we have a good chance."
The Alas Women start their campaign right off the bat on December 11 against host team Thailand.
[ALSO READ: Jorge de Brito confident Alas Pilipinas Women can break SEA Games podium drought]
Alas Pilipinas Beach: Maintaining excellence
Liao, who has been a longtime backer for Philippine beach volleyball, had the highest medal hopes for the outdoor event.
"I'm very confident we're gonna have a medal," he said. "I think as a team, we have a good chance. I can say, maybe medalya 'yan, 'di lang alam kung anong kulay."
Expected to lead the charge is beach superstar duo Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons, who got bronze in 2019 and 2021. Now reuniting in 2025, the SiPons pair is eyeing the podium once again.
"They were very eager to go back to beach. They want to get that medal again," Liao said.
As for the men, there's no Jude Garcia this year, as the newly-minted four-time MVP led Criss Cross to its first-ever Spikers' Turf championship.
[ALSO READ: Criss Cross' Jude Garcia explains decision to put Alas Pilipinas call-up on hold]
Expected to deliver a podium finish once again are Abdilla Alnakran and James Buytrago, based on the short list of names sent to the PSC and POC and made available to the media.
The beach events will start December 18.
@onesportsphl ‘I CAN SAY MAY MEDALYA 'YAN...’ 🏅🇵🇭 PNVF chief Tony Boy Liao explains the key reasons why he believes the Alas Pilipinas beach volleyball team are poised to secure a medal at the upcoming 33rd SEA Games. | via Luisa Morales/One Sports #OSOnTheSpot #AlasPilipinas #SEAGamesThailand #TibayAtTatag
? original sound - OneSportsPHL
The games will be livestreamed on One Sports YouTube and Pilipinas Live. These will also be aired on One Sports and One Sports+.
[ALSO READ: SCHEDULE | Team Philippines competes at 33rd SEA Games in Thailand]
(With reports from Luisa Morales/One Sports Digital)
Katrina Alba is a sports journalist and producer, notably with SportsCenter Philippines before taking on her current role at One Sports.
She primarily writes about basketball and volleyball, with experience covering the SEA Games, Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup.
Outside of work, her hobbies include running, swimming, pickleball, yoga, arnis, and krav maga.