PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte further boosted his support to the country’s hosting of the 2016 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship by proclaiming October as Volleyball Month.
Mr. Duterte signed on Tuesday Proclamation No. 80 and ordered to shift national attention to the staging of this prestigious tournament starting this Tuesday at the MOA Arena, where the PSL F2 Logistics Manila team will compete against the best club teams from Turkey, Switzerland, Brazil, Italy, Japan and Thailand.
Roman Prospero
It is the first time in two decades that a Chief Executive declared a volleyball month, and it will serve as a morale booster to this world-class event organized by the Philippine Superliga and Eventcourt with TV5, Petron, Asics, BMW and F2 Logistics as official sponsors, Diamond Hotel as official residence and Turkish Airlines as official airline.
The event is sanctioned by the International Volleyball Federation, Asian Volleyball Confederation and the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc..
The House of Representatives also honored late Wednesday the PSL-F2 Logistics squad that will compete against VakifBank Istanbul, Eczacibasi VitrA Istanbul, Volero Zurich, Rexona-Sesc Rio, Pomi Casalmaggiore and Bangkok Glass.
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez as well as Reps. Mikee Romero, Eric Pineda, Len Alonte, Chiqui Roa Puno and Arnulfo Teves rolled out the red carpet to the athletes, vowing to reach out to their respective constituents to help boost fans’ presence in this week-long spectacle that also has Philippine Sports Commission, Rexona, Mall of Asia Arena, Foton and Price Waterhouse Cooper as supporters.
PSL-F2 Logistics Manila came in full force, led by skipper Rachel Anne Daquis with local stars Mika Reyes, Kim Fajardo, Frances Molina, Jen Reyes, Jaja Santiago and Jovelyn Gonzaga as well as foreign players Yevgeniya Nyukhalova, Ekaterina Krivets, Yuri Fukuda, Tichaya Boonlert, Stephanie Niemer, Lindsay Stalzer and Lynda Morales.
“We are overwhelmed with the kind of government support the event is getting,” said PSL president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, adding that the last time the President declared a Volleyball Month was in 1994 when the country hosted a leg of the prestigious FIVB World Grand Prix.
“Rest assured that we will do our best to convert this support into a success, not only for our organization, for the fans, for Philippine volleyball, but also for the entire country. The success of this event is something we should be proud of as a sports-loving nation.”
Earlier, Duterte issued a memorandum circular ordering all government institutions like the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Department of Health, Bureau of Immigration, Philippine National Police, Department of Transportation and Communication, Bureau of Customs, Department of Tourism and Metro Manila Development Authority to provide support and assistance to the local organizing body.
The Senate also opened its doors to the team with no less than Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel lauding the organizing body, headed by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.
