Commissioner Sherwin Malonzo during the media launch of Premier Volleyball League and Spikers’ Turf’s landmark 10th season. PVL Images
MANILA — The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) on Monday announced an innovative format for the upcoming 2026 All-Filipino Conference.
The conference will be having three series, named Siklab, Sigla and Sinag, for the league’s landmark 10th season.
The first two series will have champions, but the last one holds the heaviest weight as PVL crowns a “Philippine Grand Champion.”
Siklab and Sigla will have points earned en route to the last and final series, Sinag.
“For this All-Filipino Conference, we will have three series. Now, each series will earn points, and those points will be added up, which will be the basis of their rankings for the third series. Each series, we will have a champion until the third one. So it’s all round-robin,” PVL commissioner Sherwin Malonzo said during the league’s 10th anniversary media launch in Quezon City.
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The Siklab series will kick off October 10, and will run until December 4. It will have a single round-robin elimination, where, as usual will have top four teams compete in the semifinals phase.
The top two squads will earn a twice-to-beat advantage against the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively.
The Siklab championship round will be a best-of-three.
In the opening series, which is Siklab, it will have an all-to-play requirement. All squads will be required to give all players declared on their rosters a chance to see action.
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Meanwhile, Sigla will have the same format as Siklab, but the all-to-play rule is removed.
“For the second series, it’s the same. But the difference between the first and the second is that the teams are required to play all their players na naka-declare sa scoresheet. Whereas in the second series, it’s all power. It’s up to the coaches kung paano, the usual,” Malonzo explained.
The third series, which is Sinag, becomes the culmination of the All-Filipino Conference.
The top two teams in the overall standings after Siklab and Sigla will earn direct berths in the best-of-three semifinals in Sinag, while the other seven teams will play in a stepladder format to enter the Final Four.
According to the league’s press release, the climb begins with Seeds 7, 8, and 9 battling in a single round-robin. The top two finishers will advance as the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds, while the third-placed team will finish ninth and see its campaign come to an end.
The No. 7 seed will then face No. 6, while No. 8 takes on No. 5. The winners of those matchups will advance to face the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively.
The survivors will then have to clear one final hurdle before reaching the semifinals: a best-of-three showdown against the top two seeds.