New Philippine volleyball federation granted provisional recognition

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Olympic Committee on Wednesday voted to grant provisional recognition to the Philippine National Volleyball Federation, Inc. as the country’s new governing body of the sport while stripping recognition from its predecessors — the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. and Philippine Volleyball Federation.

“The decision was overwhelming,” said POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who presided over the blended general assembly meeting that was attended face-to-face in a hotel in Taguig and online via Zoom.

For the PNVFI, which elected Ramon “Tatz” Suzara as its president and 12 others to the board in polls done at the East Ocean Palace Restaurant in Paranaque last Monday, to get full recognition, it must have itself registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The new group is also awaiting official recognition from the FIVB, the sport’s world governing body, when the latter holds its general assembly from February 5-7.

It is also in that FIVB meeting where LVPI and PVF's fate will be known as to whether or not it will likewise be relieved of recognition.

Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella voiced out his opposition to Suzara, the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) chief operating officer, but was told to go through the normal procedure of filing a complaint to the committees in the POC like ethics and arbitration.

As to LVPI president Joey Romasanta’s plea to return the US$80,000 it has paid to the FIVB for it to be granted provisional recognition, POC secretary-general Edwin Gastanes said the PNVFI would resolve it internally.

“The new set of officers (PNVFI) have an open mind and they will deal with that. It’s internal but the POC is helping,” said Gastanes.