Allianz PNB Life (AZPNBL) helps to secure the future of the Creamline Cool Smashers and Choco Mucho Flying Titans with its eAZy Health coverage package, which covers most of their potential health issues as professional athletes. 

The package provides life insurance coverage with protection against critical illnesses, accidents, and disability. It is well-suited for the players and coaches’ age group and profession, and includes the Healthbox, a one-stop shop that offers easy access to AZPNBL’s health, lifestyle and wellness partners nationwide. Among the benefits of Healthbox are medical home consultations, health tests and preventive services for wellness.

“The Allianz commitment to supporting athletes has a long-term point of view — while they are still playing and when they retire as professional athletes,” said AZPNBL president and CEO Joe Gross. “This plan was specifically chosen for the Creamline Cool Smashers and Choco Mucho Flying Titans because it assures them that health issues that may arise from their profession are covered, and that they have life protection.”

The eAZy Health package is designed for easy understanding even by beginners in financial planning. It is also the first plan in the Philippines that can cover health conditions such as cancer, heart attack, stroke, and CABG (coronary artery bypass graft). In addition, plan holders can get up to 30% cash back of the total premiums if no claims are made after five years.

The volleyball teams are guided by a “life changer” who assists them throughout their journey of financial well-being. “Life changers” are Allianz financial advisors dedicated to helping clients secure their future by guiding them in wealth accumulation and management and in well-being aspirations.

“We are grateful for the generous contribution of Allianz PNB Life to the players and coaches, given that volleyball is physically demanding for the players and can be stressful to the coaching team,” said Creamline Cool Smashers manager Alandel Acero.  

He added: “Through this partnership, coaches and players can now focus on what matters to them– developing the athletes and helping them play at their best. This gift is proof that Allianz PNB Life believes in the athletes, supports sportsmanship, and is true to their dedication to the partnership.”

Choco Mucho Flying Titans manager Rollie Delfino noted that about 90% of the team members have become financially mature and are investing in their future as a result. 

“Like the way the players prioritize their learning and their love for volleyball as individuals, it’s also important for them to take their future and financial stability seriously. It’s not just about the benefits that Allianz generously provides, but also about the wealth of knowledge in financial products that it shares with the team,” Delfino said.

The players themselves said the partnership between their teams and AZPNBL is game-changing. Creamline starter Michelle Gumabao candidly talked about the protection and peace of mind offered by the eAZy Health package. “The very basic insurance plans don’t cover a lot of things. Now we have coverage that goes as far as death and critical illness,” she said. “We can rest easier now because we have these kinds of benefits. I have been in the pro league for 11 years already, and no matter how careful we are, we don’t know what will happen in the future. It is reassuring that we are covered no matter what happens. I can play more confidently because we have a guarantee that we will be protected, and there will be help in case of an accident or injury.”

Choco Mucho team captain Maddie Madayag expressed a similar sentiment: “Life happens, and you never know what can come and how much it’s going to cost you. In a snap you may be facing a health issue. It is very reassuring to have this kind of protection. I’m grateful that Allianz PNB Life introduced us to insurance.”

Creamline star Bea De Leon added: “It’s very reassuring to have this kind of coverage because you know you won’t be a burden to your family [if something happens]. It is important for us as athletes that we live our lives thinking of our health, so I am thankful to Allianz PNB Life for the eAZy Health coverage. It allows us to continue doing what we love to do, with less worries. Knowing that you will be protected even as things might change in the future gives you peace of mind.”

For more information, visit www.allianzpblife.ph.

Read more: Postscript to the Paris Olympics: The games at home

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It’s the kind of adulation normally seen for hoopsters in this basketball-crazy country, except that this time, the frenzy was caused by women players of volleyball, a sport that has lately been giving local basketball a run for its money. 

Volleyball has been stealing hearts and attention all over the world. In fact, the website volleyballacademy.ae reported that during the 2016 Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, volleyball tickets were the first to be sold out among the sporting events. And according to the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), “it is also now one of the big five international sports, and the FIVB, with its 220 affiliated national federations, is the largest international sporting federation in the world.” 

Not overnight

In the Philippines, the interest in volleyball “wasn’t an overnight thing,” said Sherwin Malonzo, commissioner of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL), the first professional volleyball league in the country. 

Malonzo recalled the 2000 FIVB Grand Prix held in Manila, in which Leila Barros, a skillful volleyball player with the looks of a telenovela star, was part of the Brazilian volleyball team. “She was so popular, and many people flocked to see her play,” he told CoverStory.ph. 

But the interest raised by the 2000 FIVB Grand Prix was not sustained. Hard to believe, but even the volleyball games of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) that now play at jampacked venues were once largely ignored. “Back then, no one watched the UAAP (or University Athletic Association of the Philippines) games,” Malonzo said.

Not anymore. Now PVL president Ricky Palou, together with a group of basketball enthusiasts and players, formed the Sports Vision Management Group Inc. in 2004, and in the same year invested in the Shakey’s V-League, a mix of players from the UAAP and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

“I was already part of the very first Shakey’s V-League held in Lyceum in 2004. That was the start,” Malonzo said. And it marked the beginning of something special because the following year, the Rizal Memorial Coliseum where the championship game between De La Salle University (DLSU) and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) was held, was packed with spectators.

The potential to make people permanently embrace volleyball was there, and full TV coverage of the UAAP games in 2008 boosted the interest of casual viewers and the enthusiasm of avid fans, especially in 2014, when DLSU lost to a gritty Ateneo de Manila University team headed by its captain, Alyssa Valdez. 

Valdez was awarded most valuable player both for the UAAP Season 76 women’s volleyball and finals’ match.

Bigger venues

Malonzo said Ateneo’s Cinderella run in 2014 was a big factor in making women’s volleyball a popular sport. “[We suddenly found] that we needed to shift to bigger venues,” he said. “Before, we were happy holding games at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City, but people started to complain that they wanted to watch the volleyball games but could no longer be accommodated.”

Eventually the UAAP games were held at venues that could seat more spectators, like Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City and the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.

Malonzo likened Valdez to the actress Nora Aunor, who has a rare charisma. He said Valdez was “a big help in boosting the popularity of the sport.” (I completely agree, and would dare say that Valdez’s playing years in the UAAP paved the way for other UAAP and NCAA players to be noticed and eventually bring their volleyball brilliance to the professional league.)

The Covid-19 pandemic affected everyone and everything, especially sporting events around the world that thrive on fans watching live games. But as the saying goes, there’s always a rainbow after the rain. The PVL (formerly called the V-League, with the latter name brought back in 2022 as a separate league exclusively for collegiate teams) apparently also found a pot of gold when it decided to turn professional in 2021, and resumed volleyball games via a bubble tournament in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte. The games were televised and streamed, to the delight of fans nationwide. 

Fast forward to 2024. Women’s volleyball has hit a high in terms of popularity. Rivalries among schools and professional clubs have made the games more exciting to the point that venues would be filled to the rafters when popular teams faced each other.

Who’d forget the record-setting crowd of 24,459 that watched the December 2023 PVL game between the Choco Mucho Flying Titans and the Creamline Cool Smashers at Smart Araneta Coliseum? Or the March 16, 2024, game that pitted the Chery Tiggo Crossovers against Creamline at the Santa Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna, where the venue held around 6,000 people, or 300 more than its actual seating capacity of 5,700?

Not to be outdone, the UAAP women’s volleyball is also set to break records with the much-anticipated game between DLSU and UST on April 27 at Smart Araneta Coliseum. (Their prior meeting last Feb. 25, in which the DLSU Lady Spikers lost to the UST Golden Tigresses had a sellout crowd at the MOA Arena.)

‘Family sport’

Women’s volleyball in the Philippines has come a long way, and Malonzo cited an important factor in its success: “Volleyball caters to all ages and not just to women. It is more of a family sport.” He fondly remembered that during the Shakey’s V-League there were games during weekdays and the crowd was mostly composed of senior citizens. “They probably watched because they were allowed inside for free, or they just wanted to relax and escape an extremely hot day,” he said. “But they enjoyed the games and kept coming back.”  

Malonzo further said that because volleyball is not a contact sport, unlike, say, basketball or football, it emits a family-entertainment vibe.

It surely does. I witnessed a father-and-daughter discussion while watching a volleyball game live, with him explaining to her possible scenarios that could have happened had the coach not replaced a certain player, or had the player adjusted her serve. 

It’s also fun to watch when a player jokingly swags at an opponent when she gets a point (former DLSU star and now Chery Tiggo captain Aby Maraño comes to mind); or when Adamson University’s Jema Galanza or University of the Philippines’ Tots Carlos (now Creamline teammates in the PVL) or UST’s Sisi Rondina (heading to her second year as a Choco Mucho Flying Titan) fire strong attacks, only to be foiled by a dig by DLSU’s superb libero Dawn Macandili-Catindig, who now wears the Cignal HD Spikers’ uniform.

I can go on and on mentioning players like a volleyball rally that always elicits oohs and aahs from the crowd, and I will not run out of the game’s plus factors. 

This unpredictable game has probably reached its peak, but there’s definitely no looking back for women’s volleyball in the Philippines.

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The España-based Golden Tigresses survived a shaky start against Adamson University to secure the victory in four sets, 22-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-20.

Poyos believes having time off from the game worked wonders for her mind and body.

“The [Holy Week] break was huge because I got the time to reflect and recover, especially for my knees,” said Poyos, who produced the highest output from any UST player since Eya Laure in 2022.

“I’m so thankful because now I’m a hundred percent and I’m feeling good physically,” she added. “I’m also thankful I was able to give it my all in this game.”

Powerhouse team

Nobody expected UST to be among the powerhouse teams this season. Yet, here they are.

For team captain Detdet Pepito, the latest win was more than just booking another win. She admits that proving the doubters wrong is a victory in itself.

“Of course, I’m happy because people were calling us ‘Mini Miss UST’ before,” the Tigresses’ lone veteran said. “We were also reading comments, saying we were going to get slaughtered or whatever.”

“But I’m happy we were able to prove that it’s less about the height and more about the size of your heart.”

Youth and inexperience were the two main factors detractors pinpoint to dismiss UST as a title contender. Before the season began, many believed the Tigresses didn’t have enough veterans to spearhead a realistic championship push.

But for Detdet, youth isn’t necessarily a bug, as it is a feature. Asked what she thinks makes UST an exceptional team despite the odds: “I think it’s because we have more youngsters,” the 21-year-old libero answered. “We have more fresh legs.”

“Even though they’re new to the system, they were quick to adapt to it. That’s what I think is unique about this season,” she added.

The UST system

Kungfu Reyes has seen stars come and go as the Tigresses’ head tactician since 2015. Being at the helm for so long, Reyes attributes the team’s consistency to the school’s volleyball program.

“Actually, this is what we’re most proud of,” Reyes said in Filipino. “The program that we have in UST—our grassroots program—we’re always developing players.”

“However, it just so happened that our pieces were able to align this time. During Eya’s time, the youngest was Regina [Jurado] … Now, Detdet is the team’s senior and she’s in her third year,” he said.

“So now we have Reg and Jona [Perdido] whose timelines are aligned. I really think it’s the UST program that made this all happen.”

Fourth straight Final Four

UST found itself contending for another title for the fourth consecutive season.

They became the first team to book a Final Four berth despite losing star power with the departure of veterans Eya Laure, Imee Hernandez, and Milena Alessandrini.

The Golden Tigresses can strengthen their title hopes by securing a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four. They’d need to maintain their vice-grip on the No. 1 spot to do that.

De La Salle University (8-1) and National University (8-2) are the only credible threats to toppling UST from the top of the standings. With only a few games remaining in the elimination round, DLSU and NU are likely to join UST in the Final Four.

That leaves one more spot for Ateneo de Manila University (3-7), Adamson (2-7), University of the East (2-7), and University of the Philippines (1-9) to contend over. 

After defying the odds and—admittedly—even their own expectations, a championship may be on the horizon for the young scrappy Thomasians. With four elimination games to go, “Mini Miss UST” has her eyes firmly set on the crown.

Read more: The Pinoy road to the ‘Olympics of Dota e-sports’

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