BELLA Belen, the super rookie of Capital 1, has been seen hanging out with Cignal players Vanie Gandler, Dawn Macandili, Erika Santos, Gel Cayuna and Jacq Acuña ahead of the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) and Spikers’ Turf All-Star Game.
And yes, the three-time UAAP Most Valuable Player did not hold back when asked by reporters and bluntly admitted that she hopes to team up with the Cignal crew in the near future.
“Did you see their T-shirts? The blue seems to suit them well. The uniform is blue and yellow. Touch wood (no jinx). I don’t really know. We shouldn’t say that out loud because there are many ‘evil eyes’ out there. Let’s just keep it a secret, and we’ll just see what happens,” said Belen.
Cignal, the runner-up finishers of the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference, filed a leave of absence last April 27, making them the third team to leave the league after Chery Tiggo’s disbandment in December 2025 and Petro Gazz’s leave of absence in January 2026.
Since 2022, Cignal has racked up five bronze and three silver medals.
Belen, the 2026 All-Filipino Rookie of the Conference and Best Outside Spiker, carried the torch for Capital 1 with a career-high 29 points and 15 excellent digs in a preliminary round victory over Choco Mucho recently.
Her dominant performance as a rookie prompted PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort to jokingly dub her “Bella Bytsenko” — a reference to Capital 1 import Oleksandra Bytsenko.
The team’s offense revolved almost entirely around Belen, making her look like an import.
With Capital 1’s eighth place finish in the 2026 All-Filipino, Belen has always been open and expressive about how “volleyball is a team sport,” hinting that she needs help on the offensive end.
With Cignal players now looking for a new home in the league, the 23-year-old spiker admitted that she looks forward to teaming up with Cignal’s core.
“Of course. They’re a great addition to our team as well. Obviously, they have the experience; they even made it to the finals. Let’s see what happens,” added Belen, the sole rookie to play in the 2026 All-Star Games in Candon City.
Gandler finished as the 2026 All-Filipino Conference MVP, Cayuna took the Best Setter plum and Santos is a trusty winger who led the team to the finals against Creamline.
