By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Alas Pilipinas will have a vacation to remember after the Philippine government pledged a 200,000-peso incentive to all players and coaches for their historic campaign in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup.
Through the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Senator Bong Go, all members of the Alas Pilipinas team will receive this amount, in accordance with Republic Act No. 10699 (National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act).
With the pride and hope they brought to the growing volleyball community in the Philippines, Alas Pilipinas finally received the recognition they deserved.
Their bronze medal campaign was made more memorable by their ultimate sacrifice of representing the country with only a short training period as a full group. Alas Pilipinas had just three days of full training sessions following the end of the Premier Volleyball League’s (PVL) All-Filipino Conference.
For the first time in the history of the Asian Women’s Volleyball Cup, the Philippine national women’s volleyball team finished the tournament with a podium finish, winning the bronze medal after defeating Australia, 25-23, 25-15, 25-7.
It was a roller coaster of emotions for Alas Pilipinas after receiving their bronze medals. With less than a week to prepare for the prestigious tournament, the players did not expect much but aimed to give their best and put up a fight in every game.
Alas Pilipinas exceeded expectations by sweeping their pool and entering the semifinals with a perfect 4-0 record.
“I have no words to express how happy I am. Not just for myself, but for these guys. I told them at the beginning they deserve a lot. They really deserve it,” said Jorge Souza de Brito, Alas Pilipinas’ head coach, after the win.
