Usapang PSL Episode Five Recap: From a Serious to Laughter-Filled Discussion

If last night's episode didn't make you fall on the floor after laughing hard, then nothing will.

Usapang PSL returned with second straight episode, its fifth episode overall, and like in any other episode of the podcast brought to you by Pinoyliga TV, it was a combination of a serious discussion with the big boss of Philippine SuperLiga (PSL) Chairman Philip Juico that transitioned to an eruption of never-ending laughter brought about by the jokes of the players of Cignal HD Lady Spikers who were invited as guests. Incidentally, Cignal TV is celebrating its anniversary this month.  

Last night's episode began with Benny Benitez and returning co-moderator Anthony Suntay, discussing about the unfortunate shutdown of the sports division of ABS CBN which was brought about by the 70-11 vote of the Committee of Legislative Franchises in the House of Representatives which denied the broadcasting company's bid to renew its franchise to operate. Suntay, who worked for ABS CBN during the early years of his career, shared that the development has indeed "broke the hearts of the industry". Benny Benitez also talked about the furthermore digitalization of the sports as it has pointed out in last night's episode that the ongoing 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has sped up the digitalization of the sports in general. ABS CBN has been said to be leaning towards digitalization. Suntay also noted that the pandemic has shown the Filipinos' resiliency in trying to weather these trying times as many Pinoys resort to online selling as a means to survive.

The discussion then included PSL Chairman Philip Juico for updates on what is the latest in terms of the league's preparation for possible resumption. To start things off, Juico pointed out the importance of Metro  Manila being placed under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) as the quarantine level will dictate how PSL and volleyball in general, will resume. Juico also shared that the PSL already met with concerned government agencies such as the Department of Health to discuss safety protocols if and when PSL does return. The PSL chairman then informed that he is set to meet with the team owners of the league to give them updates as to what the league management has been up to during these times. Philip Juico also revealed in last night's episode that there are people who have shown interest in joining the league which means, according to Juico, that the PSL as a league, is doing something good. The discussion also included the possibility of the PSL merging with the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) in what many has been tagging as the Unity Cup. For Juico, the merger, if and when it happens, is good for Philippine volleyball as it will mean that fans will now have one volleyball league to watch. Suntay then asked Juico on how long should the players train with their respective before returning to the actual games and for Juico, it's two months.

The second part of the episode featured four, fun-loving beauties from the Cignal HD Lady Spikers led by the one and only Rachel Anne Daquis who made her return to Usapang PSL. Joining RAD were teammates Jovelyn Gonzaga, May Luna, and Jheck Dionela. Daquis first shared that she is now a fitness coach who runs the RAD Fitness that now has six gyms in the Philippines. Speaking on the reason for putting up her own gym,  Daquis pointed out that it's expensive for anyone to go to the mall, pay for the hourly use of gym when you can actually start your own gym while also helping out fellow fitness enthusiasts. Gonzaga, who is joining the frontline as a member of the Philippine Army, talked about the importance of balancing her work as a member of the army and that of as a volleyball player. She is also happy to inform Cignal fans that she is ready to go after sustaining a major injury last year and didn't forget to give credit to her conditioning coaches for mapping out her drills. Dionela then chimed in by sharing that she's continuing on her home workouts as well as using the time to recover from injuries.  May Luna shared that she too has joined in the party of online sellers as she's been selling Mango Graham cakes. The discussion also included the unfortunate parting of ways between the team and Coach Edgar Barroga as all four players shared that yes, it was a shock especially for Luna who was revealed to be on the radar of Barroga who wanted Luna to play for Cignal. At the end of the day, it's a professional decision and that's something that Daquis and company understood.  The players also shared the same sentiment as that of PSL Chairman Philip Juico in saying that players will need two to three months' worth of training before going back to the actual games with Daquis even saying that it's different when they are training with the team. They also discussed the new rule banning players from celebrating like the old ways with all the hugging and extra physical contacts with Suntay saying that players aren't used to playing in empty venues and cannot celebrate after scoring a point.

Then, the episode became almost like a late-night comedy show as Cignal HD Lady Spiker Janine  Marciano chimed with a question of who are the guests' favorite teammate in the team- a question that never got answered as the Daquis and Gonzaga took turns in asking funny questions such who they hate the most or even, who they love to beat down. It's almost like a volcano just erupted and lava came down in the form of hearty laughter from the ladies to the entertainment of those who saw the episode include Benitez and Suntay who could do almost nothing but to laugh. 

Screenshot is from the Facebook page of Pinoyliga.com