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Alas Pilipinas Men at the 2026 SEA V Cup. Photo from SAVA
CANDON, Ilocos Sur — Alas Pilipinas Men head coach Angiolino Frigoni was proud to see the fight of his current players on the national team, while sending a strong message to those who refused to answer the call of the flag.
Despite getting relegated to the fifth-place match, losing to Indonesia in straight sets, 20-25, 23-25, 25-27, Frigoni beamed with pride as his wards "fought for every point" in the 2026 SEA V Cup on Friday at the Candon City Arena.
The current Alas roster is composed of newcomers, led by indoor first-timer Jude Garcia, as well as Josh Magalaman, Greg Ancheta, Rodge Alejos, Jian Salarzon, Axel Van Booke, Adrian Villados, Vennie Ceballos and Lirick Mendoza.
READ: SEA V Cup: Indonesia ousts Alas Pilipinas from semis contention
Only Louie Ramirez, Josh Ybañez, Vince Lorenzo, Lloyd Josafat and Al-Bukharie Sali, who played in a previous iteration of an Alas Men squad, chose to play for the Philippines in the SEA V Cup which is presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), and Candon City Mayor Eric Singson.
“To the players we have in the middle of the court now (pointing to the players cooling down after match against Indonesia), almost all of them are in their first international experience. And I said, ‘I am proud of you,’ because they fight for every point,” said Frigoni.
“We made mistakes, okay, we made mistakes. Some mistakes, but we are still there. And we play every point. And I am very proud of them,” the Italian mentor added. “We are here with the best team that we can have now.”
READ: SEA V Cup: Alas Pilipinas Men lose to Cambodia in 5, in must-win scenario vs. Indonesia
Frigoni, though, could not hide his frustration on those who chose to not wear the national colors.
“It doesn't matter. If they come back — and some of them, they don't deserve to come back. Because those players (referring to his players now), they will fight also to stay on the national team. And some others that are not here, they are not a fighter,” said Frigoni.
“I don't want to tell you the name. If you want, you can search the name of the others, especially who is not injured, okay, that they didn't commit with the national team. Maybe, they have reason. It doesn't matter for me.”
Still, Frigoni seeks to improve the squad further.
“We fight, that's it. We are not here to win. We are here to improve. And that's for us, this match, count more than five matches winning.”
Frigoni and Alas Men seek to end their campaign on a high note against Myanmar on Saturday, 1 p.m.
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