PNVF president backs Angiolino Frigoni as Alas Pilipinas Men’s long-term shot-caller 

Success, it turns out, has clarified the Philippine National Volleyball Federation’s thinking.

After a year that reshaped expectations for Alas Pilipinas Men, PNVF president Anthony “Tony Boy” Liao made it clear that the federation’s priority is no longer reinvention — it is continuity. With tangible progress on the international stage, Liao confirmed that plans are in place to explore a contract extension for head coach Angiolino Frigoni, signaling trust in a system that is finally delivering results.

“Actually, sabi nga nila, why do you have to change a jockey when your horse is winning?” Liao said, summing up the federation’s mindset.

Frigoni, whose current deal runs until July 2026, is set to return to the Philippines in the final week of January following the holidays. That timeline, according to Liao, is when formal talks are expected to begin — not out of urgency, but out of confidence.

“Kasi ang kontrata naman niya hanggang July 2026 eh,” Liao explained. “So pag-uusapan namin anong pinakamagandang mangyari. Pero definitely, sa ginagawa naman niya, I think mae-extend ‘yan dahil maganda ang performance.

“So syempre pagbalik na niya, kasi pagbalik ng Pilipinas, he’s gonna go home to Italy for the Christmas season. He’ll be back by last week of January, we’ll sit down and talk again.”

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BRONZE WORTH THE FIGHT

After pushing through five grueling sets, Alas Pilipinas Men emerged victorious over Vietnam, 23-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 16-14, to claim the bronze medal in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

: POC Media Pool#GMASports #SEAGames2025 pic.twitter.com/tKSVM5Y5W2

— GMA Sports (@gmasportsph) December 19, 2025

Since taking over from Sergio Veloso in June 2024, Frigoni has quietly engineered one of the most meaningful upward swings in Philippine men’s volleyball. His tenure reached a defining moment at the FIVB Men’s World Championship, where Alas Pilipinas — qualified only as host — defied expectations. The Filipinos shocked African powerhouse Egypt, a program Frigoni once coached, and pushed Iran to a gripping five-set duel, falling just a single point short of a Round of 16 breakthrough before finishing 19th overall.

That momentum carried into the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, where Frigoni guided the national team back onto the podium for the first time since 2019. The bronze medal came the hard way — a dramatic comeback against Vietnam after trailing 0–2 — and reinforced the idea that progress does not always need to be measured in gold.

“So okay, nandiyan si Coach Angiolino [Frigoni]. Nag-bronze tayo. Hindi naman malungkot kasi bronze lang. Bronze is always a bronze ‘di ba? Like we never had a medal in the SEA Games. The last time was 2019,” Liao said.

More than results, Liao emphasized buy-in — from players who have embraced Frigoni’s system and from a federation eager to avoid disrupting a program finally finding its rhythm.

“So I think we will stick with him and maganda naman — yung mga bata naman gusto rin siya. Kaya walang problema.”

For a national program long defined by resets and short-term fixes, the message is clear: Alas Pilipinas Men is no longer chasing quick wins. Under Frigoni, it is building something meant to last — and the PNVF has no intention of stepping off that path just as the climb has begun.

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