PHILIPPINE National Volleyball Federation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara urged a quick turnaround, calling for grit in the face of adversity after Alas Pilipinas narrowly missed a podium spot in the first leg of the Southeast Asian V.League in the City of Candon in Ilocos Sur.

Suzara noted that a 2-2 win-loss result for a young team missing key players is commendable, but emphasized the need for consistency after an up and down week—Alas Pilipinas scored an impressive straight-sets win over perennial medal contender Vietnam but needed five sets to get past Cambodia, which was only recently promoted to the top-flight after topping the SEA VL Challenge.

Alas Pilipinas also displayed great intensity in a three-set loss to eventual champion Thailand, but seemed a step slower in the crucial match against Indonesia, which went on to claim silver with a 25-19, 25-17, 25-17 demolition of the home squad on Sunday night.

“The team needs to learn from their mistakes, their errors,” Suzara said. “Two wins and two losses, overall it’s a good result with this young team. But we still need to work harder.”

Suzara, also president of the Asian Volleyball Confederation and executive vice president of the world governing body FIVB, added he is hoping injured veterans Marck Espejo (ankle) and Bryan Bagunas (knee) can return well ahead of the ahead of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Philippines 2025 with tickets available via the official website https://www.philippineswch2025.com/.

Leo Ordiales was the steady presence for Alas Pilipinas on the court for the tournament backed by PNVF Official Partners PLDT, Mwell, Meralco, ⁠Rebisco, Akari, Nuvali, PNVF official suppliers Asics, Senoh, ⁠Mikasa, official television partner Cignal, supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, ⁠Philippine Olympic Committee and the City of Candon, earning Best Opposite Hitter honors.

The second leg gets going on Wednesday in Indonesia, and team captain Kim Malabunga said the team needs to “regroup and recalibrate” quickly.

The Philippine team left Manila for Jakarta on Monday.

“We fell short. Just a bit short, I believe we will recover from this soon,” Malabunga said.

Suzara said the SEA V.League in the City of Candon headed by Mayor Eric Singson was a great experience overall as the PNVF and AVC found a great partner in the campaign for “volleyball tourism.”

“It has been a good experience for us here. I thank Mayor Singson for the excellent organization, everything was great, and we will be back here for bigger events.”

The City of Candon has put in a bid to host the 12-nation AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup set July 6 to 13, 2026.