With none of the Alas Pilipinas Women players from the 33rd Southeast Asian Games committing to the 2026 AVC Women’s Cup, Strong Group Athletics has ramped up its support for the national team program.
A day after pledging the first two picks of ZUS Coffee and Farm Fresh in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League Draft to the national team pool, the Athletics also committed to reinforce the remaining Alas Women lineup with players from the Thunderbelles and the Foxies, as well as student-athletes from the University of Santo Tomas and the University of the Philippines, and NCAA schools Colegio de San Juan de Letran and College of Saint Benilde.
“In light of the reported shortage of players for the upcoming 2026 AVC Women’s Cup, Strong Group Athletics expresses its willingness to pool the best talents from its teams—both professional and collegiate—in support of the national team campaign in the AVC,” read the group’s statement.
“SGA is prepared to draw players from its professional squads, Zus Coffee and Farm Fresh, as well as its collegiate programs from UP, UST, Saint Benilde, and Letran, in response to the Philippine National Volleyball Federation’s call for players for the AVC. This is in addition to the 10 players who have earlier signified their intention to serve for Alas Pilipinas.”
Jia de Guzman led the withdrawal of players on Wednesday, before Angel Canino, Amie Provido, and Shevana Laput also followed suit on Thursday.
Unlike the SEA Games, tournaments such as the AVC Women’s Cup and the SEA V.League are important in improving the country’s rankings in the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball.
Making the development more unfortunate is the fact that the AVC Women’s Cup will be hosted in Candon City from June 6 to 14.
As such, collegiate players who will be selected will also be given perks, according to Strong Group.
“All collegiate players who will be selected for the national roster pool will be given the same compensation and benefits as PVL draftees, including win-game bonuses and practice allowances,” the statement said.
“As long as the player remains in the national pool, SGA will shoulder these commitments for both professional and collegiate athletes, with the goal of keeping the pool intact until the conclusion of the 2029 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship.”
Strong Group Athletics said it is making the move to continue supporting efforts to elevate Philippine volleyball on the world stage.
“We acknowledge the Herculean effort of the Philippine Sports Commission, led by Chairman Pato Gregorio, in bringing one of the premier volleyball tournaments in the world to the Philippines. We cannot let these efforts go to waste.
Furthermore, we recognize and thank the vital role of the MVP Group, led by Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, in spearheading this noble cause and in consistently putting country and flag above all else.”
