By Kristel Satumbaga
Officials from the Premier Volleyball League plan to discuss the issue of turning professional to league team members in the coming weeks following the recent joint resolution between the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
Sports Vision President Ricky Palou said the decision to turn pro doesn’t depend on the organizers alone.
“We will need to get the approval of our member teams,” Palou said. “Some of our teams still engage the services of collegiate players to play for them.”
“Turning pro will definitely affect them as university/college leagues do not allow professional players to play in their respective leagues.”
Palou added it will also be complicated if collegiate players are allowed to obtain special licenses just to play in the league. Some collegiate players competing in the PVL also play in the UAAP and the NCAA.
“The school leagues will not allow their players to play in their respective leagues even with a special license. They will reason out that players who participate in professional leagues will also have an undue advantage over those that do not play in the pro league,” said Palou.
The joint resolution sets guidelines to draw the line between professional and amateur athletes. Under it, professional sports or competitions refer to individual or team sports, games, contests, bouts and tournaments where the participating athletes are paid sums of money or other forms of compensation as salary or prizes.
In the case of the PVL, the league has been holding three-conference tournaments per season composed of teams with professional and collegiate athletes for more than a decade.
In Tuesday’s virtual Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum, GAB chairman Baham Mitra reiterated the agency is not forcing leagues to turn pros.
“We’re not a revenue-generating agency. We’re just following our mandate. We don’t meddle; we only step in when needed,” Mitra said.
Mitra believes it would help speed up the resumption of volleyball competitions since only professional sports like basketball, boxing, football and 3×3 are only allowed under the present status.
Metro Manila, which plays host to PVL games, is still under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) due to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“We have to understand where the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) is coming from. Ang dami nilang health concerns. Kailangang may isang government agency na aalalay. This is what we’re doing now. So that we can work together,” said Mitra.
