Alas Pilipinas Men finished 13th in the 16-nation volleyball competition at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, closing their campaign with two wins and plenty of lessons to bring home.
Led by captain Bryan Bagunas, Alas finally broke through Friday with a 25-19, 25-15, 23-25, 25-17 victory over Uzbekistan before securing another win by default against Kyrgyzstan on Saturday.
While the final placing fell short of the team’s target, Alas showed flashes of potential against some of Asia’s strongest teams, including China in the preliminary round, while also putting up competitive fights against Chinese Taipei and Indonesia.
For team manager Ronwald Dimaculangan, the biggest challenge was the team’s limited preparation time together.
“Preparation talaga like training camp and need for better result but happy naman to get a win at the Asian Games,” said Domaculangan.
He said the Philippines needs a stronger long-term program to consistently compete with the region’s traditional volleyball powers.
“We need to identify talent and the right coaches who have experience playing and coaching at the international level,” added the team manager.
More importantly, he wants the national program to develop players with an international mindset from the beginning.
“And the goal is to represent the country para iyung level ng goal nila hindi pang-local lang,” he said.
Dimaculangan stressed that building a stronger Alas Pilipinas program will require a collective effort from all stakeholders, from talent identification and coaching to sustained preparation and international exposure.
For Alas, the 13th-place finish may not have been the desired ending, but the campaign provided a clearer picture of what needs to be addressed as the team looks ahead to its next international challenge. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
