PLDT announced the development on its social media on Friday, attempting to bounce back from their seventh-place finish in the last 2021 PVL Open Conference, where the team finished with a dismal 3-6 win-loss card.

“Happy and excited kasi napunta ako sa team na isa sa mga pioneer na teams na sa volleyball… Masaya din ako na vina-value nila yung players,” Pascua said in a statement. 

“Yung pagkuha nila sa akin, very unexpected. Hindi ko inexpect kasi marami silang ina-eye na head coach. Kinausap nila ako sa kanilang mga plans at nagkaroon kami ng collaborations. Tapos tinawagan nila ako na ako na daw napili nila,” he continued.

Pascua replaces decorated mentor Roger Gorayeb who had been at the reins since 2013.

“It’s been a really good relationship between PLDT and Coach Roger… It wasn’t just because of the championships that he has won but he was also a father figure to the group with all his experiences. We are really grateful for those eight years,” SMART and PLDT head of sports Jude Turcuato said.

Pascua steered powerhouse Petron to the 2014 Grand Prix and 2015 All-Filipino titles in the Philippine Superliga (PSL) and guided Cignal to the 2017 Invitational championship.

Pascua, the current FEU women’s volleyball coach and a deputy for the national team, brings him plenty of lessons to instill in his new volleyball club team. 

“Malaking bagay kasi as a coach, continuous study pa rin… At the same time, natuto ako ng bagong system na galing sa Brazil. Malaking bagay sa akin yun na may bagong sistema ako natutunan,” Pascua said.

Pascua will be working alongside assistant coaches Raffy Mosuela, Mike Santos, and Manolo Refugia while Paolo Escaño is the team’s strength and conditioning coach.

“Sabi ko nga, trusted ko yung assistant coach na kinuha ko kasi malaki yung expectations sa amin ng team at ng fans… Pero siyempre it’s a process and we can’t get that in a blink of an eye. Kailangan ma-form namin yung chemistry ng mga bata at nung team. May mga skills na yan but kailangan makuha nila yung system natin,” Pascua bared. 

“What we want to see is continuous improvement. The winning culture is something that we expect in any MVP team. We always want to improve and be better in every game, that’s the mindset that we want for the team. The expectation is to be a contender,” Turcuato added.