FOR over five hours, 47 of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation’s (PNVF) stakeholders and representatives convened to elect its new leaders for the next three years.
The vote had a stunning conclusion: Ramon “Tats” Suzara’s presidency came crashing down right before his and his camp’s eyes.
READ: Tats Suzara out of PNVF as PVL's Tony Boy Liao elected new president
But how, and why, did the voting body finally decide to move on from Suzara?
On Friday afternoon, at a restaurant in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, a city long led by the clan of PNVF honorary chairman and Philippine Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, PNVF officials from across the country gathered for a long-awaited special general assembly.
Leaders began arriving as early as noon with proceedings starting past 2 p.m., but not without hiccups that had become all too familiar under Suzara’s four-year leadership.
SPIN.ph learned from sources that there were attempts to block Tony Boy Liao’s camp, including PVL president Ricky Palou, from voting, as well as hosting the assembly which had already been delayed for more than nine months.
But to avoid a full-blown legal battle, and following consultations with lawyers, it was ruled that Liao and Palou could not be barred from casting their votes, as the PNVF bylaws mandate that sitting board members must take part in the elections.
Liao’s insistence on preventing any possible “overstaying” by Suzara eventually held firm.
Even on election day itself, Liao was nearly denied entry into the venue until last-minute clarifications with his legal team.
Interestingly, there was just as much attention given to blocking Liao’s entry as there was to ensuring that provincial representatives enjoyed a comfortable stay ahead of the general assembly.
As SPIN.ph learned, the outgoing administration shouldered hotel and accommodation expenses of several provincial representatives who also happened to be voting delegates.
Hospitality? Certainly. Any agenda beyond that? Well, your guess is as good as ours.
Suzara's time comes to a close
Then came the vote.
After settling non-election matters, it took nearly three hours to complete the first phase of the process, where each of the 47 stakeholders selected 13 names from among themselves to form the new executive board.
One by one, stakeholders were called into a room to cast their ballots. For those absent, such as Cayetano, proxies were allowed.
Ballots were then counted upstairs. Meanwhile, Suzara spent most of his time either downstairs or at a small table outside the venue, speaking with colleagues or sitting by himself.
Hours later, from the ground floor, the proclamation of new board members began from the lowest to the highest vote-getters.
Eventual president Liao finished joint-sixth with Palou, Sherwin Maganda, and Danilo Cong-o, all with 31 votes.
Dr. Arnel Hajan, Suzara’s former vice president, topped the executive board election with 45 of 47 votes.
The big surprises? No Suzara, no Cayetano siblings, and not even outgoing secretary-general and Suzara ally Don Caringal made the cut.
Missing the 'magic 13' meant exclusion from the next executive board and automatic ineligibility for top posts, including the presidency.
Right there, the Cayetano presidency–Suzara chairmanship plan collapsed.
Suzara’s camp quietly stepped away, holding their own postmortem huddle outside the venue, as they digested the results.
Inside, the 13 elected board members proceeded to the second and most crucial phase — a closed-door election to determine the new president and executive officers.
Liao's rise to top spot
Nearly two hours passed before anyone emerged. Stakeholders waiting outside were anxious.
First out were Palou and Liao, their expressions giving little away.
When SPIN.ph asked Palou how it turned out, he simply pointed to Liao and said: “He won.”
The room then erupted into congratulations for the unanimously elected leader, as the realization settled that a new era had begun for Philippine volleyball.
When asked to debrief the seven-hour saga, several voting members, all requesting anonymity, said they were not surprised by Suzara’s ouster.
A recurring answer explained why they chose new leadership:
“It was time for a transparent leadership. We’ve been calling for transparency for so long,” one stakeholder said, echoing the sentiment of many.
Other reasons ranged from wanting a fresh start for the federation to ensuring a more stable future for the sport.
There is no guarantee that all past wrongs will be immediately corrected. But at the very least, Philippine volleyball finally gets its long-awaited chance to begin again.
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