Sports & Entertainment

Six match points. Six moments to dream. But in the end, only silence. Alas Pilipinas stood on the brink of something historic—a ticket to the Round of 16 in the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship—armed with six chances to seal the deal, in front of a roaring, breathless crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena.

DigiPlus Interactive Corp., the digital entertainment company behind BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone, has partnered with Philippine First Insurance Co. Inc. (PhilFirst) to launch the country’s first-ever surety bond program for online gaming players.

It was a win long in the making—and for Alas Pilipinas, it felt like a cleansing rain after a dry season of close calls and unfulfilled promise. In front of an ecstatic home crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena, the Philippine men’s national volleyball team stunned World No. 21 Egypt in four searing sets—29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21—in what may go down as the most memorable night in the country’s volleyball history.

Under the bright lights of the Mall of Asia Arena and in front of an energized home crowd led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Alas Pilipinas made its long-awaited FIVB World Championship debut. But it was a baptism by fire.

Alex Eala opened her first-ever quarterfinal appearance at the SP Open in Brazil like a storm—confident, composed, and in full command.