BELLA Belen, the top performing rookie of the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference, has always been vocal of her team needing help and that volleyball is not a one-man show but a team sport.
During the PVL All-Star event in Candon City last April, Belen expressed her desire to team up with formidable gunners Vanie Gandler and Erika Santos of Cignal which recently filed for a leave of absence in the pro league.
Belen hinted that with Gandler and Santos in tow, Capital 1 can place better than its eighth-place finish in the All-Filipino Conference.
And her wish was granted as Gandler, the 2026 All-Filipino Conference Most Valuable Player, and Santos, the 2025 PVL On Tour MVP, decided to play for Capital 1.
“Me, personally. I really manifested and prayed for it. I really want to have a teammate from Cignal with the likes of Vanie and Erika, they can really help Capital 1,” Belen said in Filipino.
“All of the help that we need, we will take it. So I am very thankful for our team owners, they are very open to the call of players,” she added.
Belen, who averaged more than 20 points in the 2026 All-Filipino Conference, said she has no problems having two new lofty gunners taking the spotlight.
“I am competitive. But I am also excited to have that kind of help. As a player, of course, I want to be better, and knowing the caliber of Vanie and Erika, they really put up numbers,” she said.
While Belen acknowledging that she’s the face of the Capital 1 franchise, having Gandler and Santos is a “good problem” to have.
“I think it really is a good problem to have. Especially, having two strong wingers in our team, and this is all about my team, Capital 1’s goal to reach the Finals,” she said.
The lethal trio is expected to play in the 2026 PVL On Tour, scheduled from June 22 to Aug. 17, and Capital 1 is expected to give the league’s title contenders a run for their money.
