Several players have been speaking out regarding support for men's volleyball.
Joshua Umandal and Rex Intal of the Cotabato Spikers are the only players left from the 2019 Southeast Asian Games squad of the Philippine Men's Volleyball Team, which delivered a historic silver medal for the country.
The Philippine National Volleyball Federation released the photo of the national pool for the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia on Sunday. Players from the Cotabato Spikers dominated the announced pool. Aside from Umandal and Intal, 2021 SEA Games pool members Kim Dayandante and Lloyd Josafat were listed along with Vince Lorenzo, Madzlan Gampong, Jelex Mendiola, Edward Camposano, and Jayvee Sumagaysay.
Joining them are Jade Disquitado of the D'Navigators Iloilo, National University's Rwenzmel Taguibolos and Leo Ordiales, Ateneo de Manila's Vince Mangulabnan, and De La Salle University's Noel Kampton.
Mark Alfafara, who played in 2019, will serve as trainer when they head to Taiwan for a ten-day camp starting February 15.
The men's squad is looking to bounce back after falling to fifth place in the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam compared to the second place finish in the Philippines back in 2019. Several mainstays of those squads, such as Marck Espejo, Bryan Bagunas, and JP Bugaoan, were not included in the PNVF's list.
They were part of an initial pool that sources told One Sports, which the PNVF did not confirm.
"The PNVF has to be meticulous in the selection of the members of the national teams based on what the national coaches recommended for a particular competition," the federation said in a statement last week.
The absence of the mainstays though comes as the PNVF replaced Dante Alinsunurin, Jr. with Odjie Mamon as head coach of the men's volleyball team.
Alinsunurin was already leading the NU Bulldogs as a champion coach, and was recently selected as the chief tactician for the Choco Mucho Flying Titans in the PVL.
Some players spoke out in defense of Alinsunurin, such as Bryan Bagunas, who will return to the Spikers' Turf as part of the Imus-Ivy Tuason Photography Volleyball Club.
"Oppsss isang malaking BAKIT? Pero sobrang proud po ako sa 'yo coach sa lahat ng pinagdaanan mo as a head coach ng National Team. 'Di ka sumuko kahit madaming opportunity na dumating sa 'yo, 'di mo kami iniwan," he tweeted.
"Sayang yung mga plano mo para sa NT. Nakakalungkot lang. Pero SALUDO kami sa 'yo!"
Ish Polvorosa of Imus, who was in the 2019 lineup and was part of the 2023 initial list, asked the public to support the Spikers' Turf instead.
"Please support Men’s Volleyball in our country by coming to our games to watch live and helping us spread the word. Thank you and love you all," he tweeted.
In a now deleted tweet, Umandal though spoke up in defense of the current squad.
"Okay lang kahit anong sabihin niyo sa team namin. Mahalaga itutuloy namin ang nasimulan namin ng 2019. Lahat nakukuha sa tyaga," he tweeted when the lineup was released.
