Losing is never easy.
But losing when you’ve given it your all — knowing your team has what it takes to win — and still coming up short? That hits even harder.
That’s exactly what Bella Belen felt after Alas Pilipinas Women suffered a heart-wrenching four-set defeat to Indonesia, 26-28, 25-13, 28-30, 24-26, in the bronze medal match of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games on Monday.
“For me, masakit,” said the 23-year-old Belen, fighting back tears. “Masakit siya talaga kahit na first time ko kasi alam kong kaya namin eh, kaya ng team namin.”
The Philippines had all the makings of a team ready to take the next leap, rallying back from a furious 7-0 Indonesian run only to fall short in the first set extension. Then in the next set, it showed dominance across the court against a squad they hadn’t beaten in years.
From the outside looking in, Alas Women had the talent to match an Indonesian team that had long been the bane of their medal hopes over the past three editions of the biennial meet.
But in a contest where every rally mattered, it was experience that ultimately separated the two sides.
(C) POC Media
“Pag tinignan kung paano kami maglaro ganyan, bawat isa alam na kaya. Pero ayun, kinapos,” said Belen, as the Philippines fell short in the third and fourth sets, resulting in another fourth-place finish.
“Talagang nilaban din ni Indonesia. Maganda rin yung pinakita nila. Pero ayun, hindi kami nakasabay, hindi kami nakasagot ng maayos. Siguro late na rin noong naka-adjust kami. Pero ayun, I’m very happy pa rin sa naging performance ng team,” she added.
And for Belen, that was what made the loss hurt even more.
Seeing how the team fought tooth and nail — and pushed Indonesia to the brink — only made the defeat harder to swallow. It’s a feeling she will never forget, and one she is determined never to experience again.
“Siguro, very ano siya sa amin, talagang emotional kami after ng game,” the Capital1 rookie said.
“Siguro ito yung game na ayaw na namin ulit ma-feel sa susunod na laban kasi masakit talaga matalo, lalo na pag alam mo naman sa sarili mo or sa team na kayang maipanalo,” she added.
Ever the competitor, Belen believes she could have done more for the squad despite not being a starter.
Still, she knows the only thing left now is to turn the pain into motivation — to get better, be ready when the moment comes, and make sure a close loss like this never happens again.
“Ako, first time ko mag-SEA Games. At syempre, as a competitive player, grabe rin yung expectation ko sa sarili ko na kailangan mag-contribute ako sa team pag kailangan ako kasi hindi naman ako starter,” said the three-time UAAP MVP, who finished with nine points, her best in the tournament.
“Pero I believe na lagi tinatatak sa utak ko na pag kinailangan ako ng team, kailangan maka-contribute ako doon sa alam kong kaya ko. And, I’m very happy din naman medyo sa pinakita kong performance, pero I believe meron pa sanang mas maigaganda pa.”
#WATCH: Bella Belen has no regrets with how Alas Women performed in the #SEAGames2025 🏐🇵🇭#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/FhJzCXx3ba
📹 @_joaquiflores /Tiebreaker Times #Sambansa pic.twitter.com/qCvpyTPgKM
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) December 15, 2025
