Capital1 acquires Vanie Gandler, Erika Santos and Jaja Maraguinot

CAPITAL1 acquired two of the country’s highly-sought free agents in former PVL MVPs Vanie Gandler and Erika Santos from the disbanded Cignal to shore up its contender bid in the next PVL season in July.

After days of speculations, the Solar Spikers on Thursday formalized the signing of the blue chip recruits to form a lethal troika of wingers now with No. 1 rookie pick and three-time UAAP MVP Bella Belen. Also in is former Nxled setter Jaja Maraguinot as Capital1 doubled down on its seriousness to slug it out with the PVL’s big guns only in its second year.

“This is the beginning of a new story in Capital1. We had this dream with my sister Mandy two years ago when we joined the PVL and it’s part of a long journey. Welcoming experienced veterans is what we need to put an exclamation point to the purpose of the team, which is to win a championship along the way,” said team owner Milka Romero on Thursday during the official launch at the Gameville Ball Park, also the team’s official partner, in Mandaluyong.

Capital1, as an expansion squad, struggled as cellar-dweller in its first season before landing the top pick in last season’s draft, which it used to select arguably the greatest collegiate player of all time in Ms. Belen from National University. With Ms. Belen in, Capital1 improved significantly with a pair of quarterfinal finishes.

And she will not be alone this time around as Capital1, with still a projected Top 5 pick in next month’s Rookie Draft, positions itself to the forefront of the league with now three of the top scorers on its stable. For Ms. Belen, it’s a good problem to have amid questions on how they will all share the ball on the court.

Asked if they’re enough though to bring Capital1 over the hump for a possible shot at the championship, the three recruits toned it down, reiterating that it would not be an overnight success.

“Our goal is not to reach the end right away. Our goal is to focus on the process. I have no doubt in this team that we’ll get there one step at a time. I’m not sure about the timeline of a championship but I know one day, we’ll get there. For now, we’ll enjoy building this team together,” vowed Ms. Gandler, who just won the 2026 All-Filipino Conference MVP for the Super Spikers after their runner-up finish to Creamline before a surprise disbandment.

With Mses. Belen, Gandler and Santos on the wings, Capital1 is banking on new playmaker Ms. Maraguinot to engineer a well-oiled offense.

“It’s not easy pero I’m thankful for Capital1. They gave me this opportunity and it will be a process. I’m ready to face the challenges,” said Ms. Maraguinot, who’s coming off a year-long hiatus after parting ways with Nxled last season. — John Bryan Ulanday