TATAP makes presence felt

The Philippines’ bronze medal finish in the recent Southeast Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship has spurred the gradual rise of the sport in the Philippines.

After seven years of absence, RP table tennis again made its presence felt in the region and took home bronze medal through Beverly Villar and Ayra Malabayabas in the girls’ doubles event.

"This respectable finish will make us strive more to boost the popularity of the sport and widen the base of talents in the country. The more players we have, the more chances to discover better talents," said Victor Valbuena, president of the Table Tennis Association of the Philippines (TATAP).

The girls’ team placed fourth overall in the team event while boys’ team placed No. 5 in the nine-team competition, claiming Myanmar and Vietnam as victims.

It was a surprised finish considering the Philippines has long been regarded as the "weakest link" in table tennis in the region.

Since taking over the reins in TATAP eight months ago, Valbuena has worked hard on improving the sport’s popularity among students, local governments and private supporters by holding the Rustan’s National Open and a selection tourney that formed a new core of national campaigners.

"We are currently coordinating with various schools and local governments which all expressed willingness to include table tennis in their sports program," added Valbuena.

The Department of Education under Secretary Raul Roco has also inquired TATAP on its technical support as table tennis will be included in the Physical Education curriculum.

"We are glad that more sectors are joining our efforts to boost the sport that fit the Filipinos. Here’s a sport where we don’t need height and heft – qualities that are lacking in most Filipinos."