Metro Manila, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a review of the funds of the Alas Pilipinas teams in the 20th Asian Games in Japan on Monday, Sept. 28, following claims that the men’s team did not receive proper financial support.
Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing that the government will launch an investigation on the complaints and determine if any sports official should be held accountable for any fund misuse.
“Sa ganito pong pagkakataon kinakailangan itong pagtuunan ng pansin, kung saan may kulang, sino may pagkukulang at kung ang mga binibigay na mga ganitong pamamahayag ay tama at may basehan,” she said.
[Translation: In this situation, we need to attend to this matter, where we lacked, who is at fault, and make sure that the statements are accurate and have basis.]
Following a straight-set loss to South Korea on Sept. 27, Alas Pilipinas Men team captain Bryan Bagunas bared the team’s financial struggles in funding training, with some players getting in debt to pay for transport.
The Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) acknowledged the concerns raised by Bagunas in a statement on the same day and apologized to the national athletes.
It cited the financial debts that the federation faces under the leadership of Frank Lao, who was elected president in August after the suspension from the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball over serious governance concerns.
“When president Frank Lao assumed leadership of PNVF in August 2026, he inherited a federation burdened with substantial financial liabilities and outstanding obligations,” the statement read.
Lao said that the group is working with a depleted budget and ₱25-million debt, including late disbursements of coach salaries and other payables.
“Just give me some time po. Sa akin ito bilang presidente ng [This is on me as president of] PNVF. I take this responsibility. Sorry po [I am sorry],” he said.
After another sweep on Monday, this time at the hands of powerhouse team China, Bagunas said he remains grateful for the response of the federation to their concerns as the team sought to refocus on their last preliminary round matchup against Chinese Taipei.
“‘Di naman namin ginagawang excuse ‘yung financial [struggles] kasi nandito kami para ipakita kung anong meron ang Philippine volleyball,” he said.
[Translation: We’re not using our financial struggles as an excuse because the team is here to show what Philippine volleyball has.]
