ILOILO City – The Malitbog Elementary School girls volleyball team in Calinog, Iloilo got an outpouring of support after they went viral for playing and winning a championship while barefoot.
Following a post from Gametime Sports Facebook page last week, pledges and donations from some private individuals and some Premier Volleyball League (PVL) personalities came their way.
Julia Morado-de Guzman from the newly-crowned 2023 PVL All-Filipino Conference champions Creamline Cool Smashers pledged to donate 12 pairs of shoes for the Ilongga volleybelles.
Also sending their help were PLDT High Speed Hitters head coach Rald Ricafort, Cool Smashers team coordinator Taj Chupungco, Petro Gazz Angels assistant coach Mona Bagatsing, the Philippine Army Lady Troopers, and several Ilonggo private individuals.
According to Gametime Sports founder Rodolfo Go Villaruz, as of Monday evening they have already collected a total of P43,300 from contributions, close to their target of P48,000.
“We initially intended to use all the cash donations to buy 12 pairs of shoes for the Malitbog players but since Julia Morado already pledged to donate the 12 pairs of shoes, we will use the cash contributions for the other needs of the team,” Villaruz said.
The Malitbog Elementary School girls volleyball team ruled the recently concluded Division of the Iloilo Sports Council Meet 2023 despite its players being shoeless the entire tournament.
Team trainer JM Perenia said in an interview with Gametime Sports that they opted to play barefoot as many of their players are poor and cannot afford to buy original playing volleyball shoes.
“They wear fake shoes that break easily and even slip in the middle of the court. So the players decided to play barefoot or without shoes and we are happy that we won the championship,” Perenia said.
With the championship, the Malitbog squad will next represent the Province of Iloilo in the upcoming Inter-Division Meet later this month./PN
