The birth of a new PHL National Women’s Volleyball Team the "Bomberinas"

The first news about new efforts to revive a national team in women’s volleyball first broke in the middle of February of this year when the Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF) created a task force to identify potential candidates to be part of this squad.
The task force was headed personally by PVF Secretary-General Vangie de Jesus and from hundreds of names on the radar, the pool was trimmed to 38 of the finest young players in the country. It was an ambitious undertaking as aspirants went through what was referred to as a “10-part selection process” until the final pool was reached. They were named the “Bomberinas” and were slated to see their first action as a team in the 3^rd POC-PSC Philippine National Games (PNG).
Today (May 27), the Bomberinas under the banner of Cagayan Valley were finally activated for its initial salvo as the volleyball battles commenced in the PNG.

The Cagayan Valley Bomberinas at the PNG (Photo: Roy Afable)

I was there at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium (NAS) on the invitation of Bomberinas skipper Angeli Tabaquero and when I first walked in to the gym—in the middle of the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC)-Angeles University Foundation (AUF) tiff—I immediately noticed the hulking presence of 6’4” phenom Jaja Santiago and what appeared to be a small group of players running around the bleachers to limber up. Upon closer inspection—sitting beside former Adamson University Head Coach and now PVF Director Minerva Dulce Pante—the maroon clad Bomberinas were indeed getting ready.
“It’s a step in the right direction (for Philippine volleyball),” Pante noted in the vernacular. “It will be a slow process but eventually it (the formation of an official women’s volleyball team) will happen.”
That being said, the Cagayan Valley squad apparently had not yet been anointed by the PVF.
Team Captain Angeli Tabaquero: vocal leader (Photo: Roy Afable)
“The mere fact that we’re here shows that something is now happening,” Bomberinas Assistant Coach (and former Far Eastern University head coach) Nes Pamilar explained, also in Tagalog. “It has been a while since even had a team. Things are falling into place.”
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Of the 38 names on that magic list, 15 suited up. Here’s the Cagayan Valley Bomberinas PNG line-up:
#1 Rubie de Leon - UST
#2 Angge Tabaquero (C) – UST
#3 Jheck Dionela (L) - UPHSD
#4 Arianne Argarin – UPHSD
#5 Rose Marie Vargas - FEU
#6 Jaja Santiago - NU
#7 Wenneth Eulalio - FEU
#10 Ivy Perez - NU
#11 Nica Guliman - LPU
#12 Joy Benito – SSC-R
#13 Sandra de los Santos - UPHSD
#14 Michelle Morente (L) – PWU-JASMS HS
#15 Royce Tubino - UPHSD
#16 Din-Din Santiago - NU
#19 Danika Gendrauli - SWU
Head Coach: Sammy Acaylar
Assistant Coaches: Nes Pamilar, Francis Vicente, Brian Esquibel
Anointed or not, the Cagayan Valley Bomberinas easily dispatched the only UAAP team seeing action in the women’s volleyball event, the University of the Philippines by a score of 25-15, 25-11, 25-15. There was some rust noticeable in many instances as the Lady Maroons were able to find gaps in the Bomberinas’ defenses but overall it was a demolition job by the would-be nationals, led by Vargas, Tubino and Jaja. They next take on the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) on May 28 at 6:00PM and then a squad from San Juan on May 30 at 7:30AM before entering the knockout stages which begin on May 31.