Sen. AP Cayetano hails Alas Pilipinas for serving an ace in FIVB world championship

SENATE Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Saturday lauded the Philippine men’s volleyball team, Alas Pilipinas, for breaking into 19th place in the ongoing FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2025, calling it a historic moment for Philippine men’s volleyball.

The national squad climbed to 19th out of 32 teams, a gritty run that also boosted the country’s world ranking from 88th to 77th – a big leap for the Philippines in men’s volleyball.

Alas Pilipinas now sits just behind France (18th) and ahead of traditional contenders Cuba (20th) and Germany (21st).

“Usually kapag host country at mababa ang ranking, pinapalaro lang for experience at honor. Pero ginulat tayo ng pusong Pinoy talaga,” Cayetano said in his September 19 Facebook livestream, as he recalled how the team battled adversity and made the nation proud.

Cayetano, who serves as co-chairperson of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), praised Alas Pilipinas for delivering the country’s first-ever World Championship victory with a stunning win over Egypt, followed by a nail-biting five-set duel against Asian powerhouse Iran where the Filipinos held six match points before bowing out.

He noted how the team’s performance earned the respect of international officials.

“Talagang blessed ng ating Panginoon ang ating mga players at coaching staff,” he said.

Cayetano also cited the achievements of several players who ranked among the best in the tournament:

• Bryan Bagunas – #3 in Scoring (70 points), #3 in Attacking (61 points), #7 in Blocking (6 points)

• Joshua Retamar – #4 in Setting (111 successful points)

• Steven Ybanez – #7 in Digging (21 digs), #5 in Receiving (23 successful points)

• Marck Espejo – #4 in Receiving (24 successful points), #7 in Blocking (6 points)

The senator said the milestone reflects not only the athletes’ years of sacrifice and training but also the growing passion of Filipino fans for volleyball.

“Proud na proud tayo, pero sana hindi lang kapag may panalo. Ang tagumpay nila ay bunga ng mahabang taon ng sakripisyo,” he said, urging sustained support for the sport.