IN THEIR debut appearance at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship to be staged on home soil, Alas Pilipinas announced the 14-man roster that will don the national colors on Wednesday.
As anticipated, the squad confirmed that veterans Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo will lead the Philippines’ campaign to make a mark on the global volleyball stage.
The experienced outside hitters, eager to suit up again after bouncing back from injuries, understand the weight of responsibility on Alas Pilipinas’ shoulders—and the need to rise to the occasion.
“Ito, big tournament talaga. Lahat naman po kami talaga ready. Pero syempre as a team, malayo pa. Malayo pa yung kailangan gawin. Pero malayo na rin ang in-improve ng team since nagsama-sama kami before training camp sa Europe,” Espejo said.
Joining Bagunas and Espejo are explosive attackers Leo Ordiales, Michaelo Buddin, Jade Disquitado, and Louie Ramirez. At the setter position, Owa Retamar teams up with DLSU ace Eco Adajar to run the offense.
Rounding out the roster are Kim Malabunga, Peng Taguibolos, and Lloyd Josafat as middle blockers; while Josh Ybañez, Jack Kalingking, and Vince Lorenzo will anchor the floor defense for Alas Pilipinas.
We Need You
Angiolino Frigoni will take charge from the sidelines, aiming for his squad to rise to the challenge against the world’s elite. The Italian tactician, however, understands that his team will need the full backing of the nation to push through.
“Sir Tats [Ramon Suzara] said that he’s trying to bring 12,000 people. In my experience, when we played against Japan, Filipinos were cheering for Japan and not for the Philippines,” he told a media.
“So, what I’m telling to the Filipinos, please come. We need you. As supporters, we need you because we are going to fight together against Tunisia. Don’t let us fight alone against Tunisia,” he added.
Prior to the tournament, Alas Pilipinas joined a three-nation training camp in Europe and even played a tune-up game against Portugal. From that experience, Frigoni witnessed significant progress in his team.
“I saw improvements, especially in defense and the organization of blocks. We serve better. We don’t make a lot of mistakes in serve, we serve better. I saw improvements, really,” Frigoni said.
“I’m happy with how they practice, I’m happy with how they played in the last friendly matches. We improved a lot in one year. I don’t know if it will be enough to beat Tunisia in the first match. But until now, I’m pretty happy with what we did,” he added.
As the host nation, the Philippines was automatically slotted into Pool A, where they’ll open against 11-time African champion Tunisia tomorrow, followed by a clash with African titlist Egypt on Sept. 16, and world No. 15 and Asian silver medalist Iran on Sept. 18.
