CHICAGO -- With November finally here, I guess it isn't too early to make a Christmas wish. So, here's mine:
I wish the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) would stop bullying the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).
A relationship that has for years been one-sided has turned almost ruthlessly dictatorial in a way where some of the PVL team owners are threatening to leave the league rather than put up with the whims of the year-round Grinch that the PNVF has seemed to become..
One team owner, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, described to me the PNVF's treatment of the PVL.
"It's just pure, relentless bullying," he said, his voice cracking with anguish.
A LEAGUE UNDER ASSAULT
As a result, an already disrupted but ongoing Reinforced Conference is about to spiral into a bigger mess.
After PNVF president Ramon "Tats" Suzara sent the league scampering during the tournament opening last October 7 by delaying the signing of the International Transfer Clearance (ITC) for imports, the federation now wants the conference to end by November 15.
But here's the problem: The PVL has already tabled the tournament to conclude on the 27th and cutting it short would be untenable, not to mention injurious to the league and the fans.
The PNVF's reason for the short run of the Reinforced Conference is to allow national team players to practice for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Thailand.
That doesn't hold much water. The SEA Games starts on December 9, which gives the national team more than enough time to practice and re-acquaint with each other even if their PVL duties end on the 27th as scheduled.
EQUAL SHARING
To be clear, PVL teams are more than willing to lend their stars to Alas Pilipinas. In fact they still pay them while representing the flag. With a pool of up to 30 players on call for six months, the teams shell out roughly P15 million in salaries.
Patriotism is noble. It's also expensive.
Again, as previously pointed out, teams are wondering why the PNVF readily takes star players from the PVL while national team coach Jorge de Brito is allowed to coach Capital 1?
All of the above are concepts that Suzara doesn't seem to grasp or just doesn't give a damn about.
"I just came back from a trip abroad," PVL presiden Ricky Palou told me Saturday night when asked to assess the fire still smoldering around his league. But he vows to stiff arm the PNVF onslaught.
"I will meet with the team owners," Palou said, adding that his league plans to stiff-arm, politely of course, any other disadvantageous measures the PNVF might inflict upon the PVL.
Meanwhile, unless Santa himself shoots down the chimney to save the day, it's looking a lot like a bleak, blue Christmas for the PVL.
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