Trillanes to decentralize TATAP training program

CEBU, Philippines - Under the leadership of its new president, Senator Antonio Trillanes, a better and organized entity is expected to happen in the Table Tennis Association of the Philippines (TATAP).

One of Trillanes’ agenda will be the decentralization of the table tennis program in the country. The national team members will be identified from which region they came from and will be training in their respective places.

The idea of having a decentralized program came when University of Cebu (UC) head coach Jessica Jawad-Honoridez was asked on how she managed to produce skillful athletes who excelled in the national arena.

The training of the national players has been centralized specifically in NCR. There are many potential athletes but for many years, Cebuano players always excel and beat other tough players groomed in Manila.

“For me, the decentralization of the training is a good solution in order to tap the best talents in the country. The players from the provinces will no longer hunger for offers coming from Manila because they could also earn those in their respective provinces and for these athletes, education is very important as well,” said Honoridez, who was elected as the auditor during the TATAP election.

“As a mother, I believe that the players will be more comfortable if they are just adjacent to their parents and family and not living far from them. Once the child is mentally affected, they will no longer have focus in both education and the sports they have,” she added.

There will be pool of athletes in the National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao with specific central training center for each region. For the Visayas region, Cebu will be the main training center.

Among those who were elected during the TATAP Election last April 1 at the University of the Philippines-Diliman were Jose Ortalla Jr. (vice president), Jacinto Omila Jr. (chairman), Oscar Sentilices (secretary), Eddie Tadea (treasurer) and board of directors, Charlie Lim, Nilo Pineda and Dario Hernane. - THE FREEMAN