JOSH Ybañez stressed that Alas Pilipinas Men’s decision to speak out on their financial struggles came not as an excuse for their Asian Games opener, but to share what the team had been dealing with behind the scenes.
A day after captain Bryan Bagunas detailed the players’ out-of-pocket expenses following their straight-set loss to South Korea, Ybañez addressed the timing of the revelations in a message on his Instagram broadcast channel on Monday.
READ: Alas Men, Women players claim paying for own expenses at Asiad
“Just to clarify, we’re not speaking up to make excuses for that loss earlier or para i justify ang pag underperform, hehe. We are always trying our best to play according to what we have,” Ybañez wrote.
“Preparation wise? Tagilid talaga kami jan pero sabi nga ni kuya Marck [Espejo], ‘Laban nalang natin ’to para sa isa’t isa.’ We have each other’s backs.”
Bagunas had revealed that some Alas players had gone without allowances since July, with teammates borrowing money for transportation and shouldering some expenses during their Asian Games preparations and stay in Japan.
The financial disclosures came after Alas fell to Korea, 16-25, 25-27, 22-25, in its opening match, with the Philippines committing 23 errors against Korea’s seven.
The team suffered another sweep at the hands of China on Monday, falling on the brink of elimination.
Ybañez, however, separated the team’s preparation difficulties from its performance on court, emphasizing the players’ commitment to one another and to the Asian Games campaign.
“We’re doing it for ourselves and for the team. Kaya nilaban namin ’tong Asian Games! Just wanna share it!” he added.
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