Fair Play: Trillanes and Tatap: A recipe for disaster?

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Dec. 8)
WANT something ironic? Not Alanis Morissete irony, but irony irony.  A Citom enforcer getting busted for running a red light? A former mayor crying about bullying?

Or how about Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV saying, �We will stop politicking in this sport and focus on the programs we will set forth for the development of table tennis.�

Yes, Sen. Trillanes, the politician, is now the president of the Table Tennis Association of the President (Tatap), a position not recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), which could put Tatap in the position of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP.)

BAP, of course, is deader than last year�s dead fish and do you know who BAP�s president is? Sen. Trillanes.

A student of the art of political stunts, Sen. Trillanes, said he has nothing but good intentions for the sport but, isn�t the road to hell paved with good intentions?

Like Sen. Trillanes, I have a soft spot for table tennis, having taken up the sport as a second grader to while away the time. But, I was quite surprised when, as a first-year journalist, I learned the officials whose names I memorized in high school for a test were still the same bunch of guys.

And the question I raised in high school--why can�t Tatap put up regional championships where the champions go to a national championship? �still begged to be asked. It seems, they just send scouts to the Palarong Pambansa, Prisaa nationals and CHED games and write off their grassroots program.

Now, can Sen. Trillanes, a guy who I used to admire for his chutzpah years ago before he made seizing 5-star hotels his hobby, change that?

His administration sure can because he was elected along with Cebu�s Jessica Jawad-Honoridez, the godmother of table tennis in Cebu. Honoridez, having been involved with the sport since I was using plywood racquets back in Mindanao, knows the ills and her own programs have produced results.

But the thing is, Honoridez can�t do anything because their election is recognized by the POC, which means Trillanes has to fight POC prexy Peping Cojuangco, which means it�s going to be an ugly political affair featuring power plays and Senate inquiries.

Which means �focusing on programs that will develop table tennis� will take a backseat to�you guessed right--politicking.�

And you know what? I think one option to save the country�s table tennis, is, for Sen. Trillanes to resign as president.

Aaah, isn�t it ironic, don�t you think?