Volleyball capital of the Philippines

By NIMROD NL QUIÑONES

We missed our deadline for several weeks due to a very hectic schedule, but Full Point is now back on y101fm.com to give you insights on various sporting activities around Cebu.

Cebu’s claim to being the volleyball capital of the Philippines is now official with no less than the Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF), the national governing body of the sport declaring such.

The biggest reason for this honor is the annual Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia Unity Volleyball (GUV) Cup, which is the biggest in the country.

With the various towns and cities under the province competing for honor and thousands of pesos, the tournament is also deemed as the richest.

Last weekend, I travelled north to the town of Carmen to witness the action of the Cluster V eliminations.

Many years ago, it would not be a surprise to see a group of people gathered in small clearings to watch what we Cebuanos call dayon-dayon or one-touch volleyball.

This time around we see professionally-run events being held in the various towns around the province that host the cluster eliminations.

Not only do we see the spruced up paying areas, but there are also the international-standard entrance of players and officials for every game, the properly mounted nets, the use of several balls, and above all, the improved coaching and playing abilities of the various teams.

During its first year, several small towns had players, who knew a little volleyball but moved like they were playing in backyard games.

During my trip to Carmen, which took a little over an hour due to the traffic, I was happy to see the teams using set plays and displaying moves that you might once only see in the cities.

The GUV action continues this weekend at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex for the Cluster VI eliminations.

The top two teams for each cluster will advance to the quarterfinals.

If you haven’t witnessed a game of the GUV Cup, try to find time to do so.  You will see how the sport has arrived as how beautiful the people of Cebu are.


The team from San Francisco in Camotes Island is presented for its match.

A spiker from Poro town of Camotes Island goes for an attack against Tabogon.

Officials of the Cebu Volleyball Association (CEVA) led by their president Jun San Juan travel to the various venues to oversee the games.

The players of Tabogon display uniform moves, as well as many others in uniform including their hairstyles.

Players from Sogod town relax at the Carmen Gym while waiting for their game.

The town of Carmen in northern Cebu hosted the Cluster V eliminations of the 7th GUV Cup.

The host team is presented prior to one of their games.

If you want your sport or event featured here, send email to nimrod@mozcom.com.