Brazilian coach Jorge De Brito came to the Philippines in 2021 with the intention of sharing what he knew to help the country’s volleyball program. He was able to do that by leading the Philippine women’s volleyball national team to a bronze medal finish at the 2024 Asian Women’s Volleyball Challenge Cup held in Manila. It was the country’s best-ever finish in that tournament.

Aside from that, he also helped lead the Philippine women’s volleyball national team to a pair of bronze medal finishes that same year. These were bronze medal finishes in the first and second legs of the 2024 SEA Women’s V.League.

In 2025, De Brito led Alas Pilipinas to a silver medal in the AVC Nations Cup. He capped that with two bronze medals once again in the 2025 edition of the SEA V.League.

In an exclusive conversation, De Brito admitted that while significant, these milestones still fell short of the original target. The objective was to reach the finals at the very least. Regardless, he said he was proud of the efforts of his players, believing that they gave everything they had.

Like any other sport, it takes time to build a contender. It can be argued that the country has an abundance of volleyball talent, but bringing players together to compete with other teams requires time and continuity.

De Brito was fully committed and dedicated to being part of that journey. Unfortunately, there was an obstacle that stood in the way: his contract.

The retired and former Olympian gold medalist detailed how certain conditions of his contract with the Philippine National Volleyball Federation were left unresolved. He said there were stipulations, such as bonuses, that remained unpaid.

“They’re [bonuses] supposed to be paid after a month, two months and three months. They’re really late… more than a year, even a year and a half,” De Brito shared.

Regardless, De Brito added that despite his repeated inquiries, he was never told that he would not be paid for his services under the contract. Holding on to that belief, he remained patient, hoping that he would receive what he initially signed for.

“When you are in a contract, you have to trust each other. I still have trust because the contract is there. So we’re still waiting,” he explained.

De Brito waited patiently, but discussions continued to fall through. Matters became more complicated when the PNVF named a new board, with Anthony “Tonyboy” Liao taking over as president from Ramon “Tats” Suzara.

De Brito made it clear that he held no ill will against Suzara or Liao in relation to his contract. He pointed out that while he was aware of the leadership transition, his contract issue concerned the federation as an institution, not any specific individual.

“What I did was inform the new board. Even if there was a new board, there were still older guys there from the old board members who were still there. They are the same,” De Brito shared. “To be official, to be legal, we did that through my attorney. We informed them nicely in December.”

De Brito is legally represented by Atty. Rex Enrico Cruz III, a professor at DLSU.

“I never had a contract with Ramon [Suzara] or Tonyboy [Liao]. It’s with the PNVF. I did work for the national team. It’s a nation behind me, and I was serving them to raise the level of volleyball here,” De Brito continued.

“If they had answered something, there probably would have been a chance to talk, and probably no one else would know about it. It could have been between us. Not social media. No legal action,” De Brito added.

He went on to share how he never imagined himself being drawn into a legal dispute. The change in leadership hardly concerned him, as he maintained trust that his contract would still be honored. But despite his efforts and later learning that he would be relieved of his duties, De Brito took it all in stride. However, that didn’t mean his contract concerns would be set aside.

“When I was informed that I would be there until December 2025, I said okay. It’s fine. But we need to sit down because my contract has to be reviewed. And then, we can finish,” he said.

De Brito was officially notified that his contract would be terminated on October 15, 2025, something that was poorly timed. But being the professional he is, he continued to try and guide the Philippines at the 2025 SEA Games held in Thailand. That squad got as far as the semifinals but eventually lost to Thailand to settle for fourth place.

That was De Brito’s last hurrah as the national coach for the women’s volleyball team. Now, he focuses on resolving his contract dispute with the federation — nothing more, nothing less.

*This is the first of a series based on an exclusive interview with former Alas Pilipinas women’s volleyball head coach Jorge De Brito.