Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson and running mate Senate President Vicente "Tito" C. Sotto III would like to offer Filipinos other sports where they would definitely outshine international competitors other than basketball which may be the most popular game in the Philippines.
In an interview with DYRD-Bohol, Wednesday (April 6), Lacson and Sotto expressed their intention to develop other sports programs in the country such as bowling, billiards, and table tennis or ‘ping pong’ on the belief that the skill level and talents of most Filipinos are more suited for these games.
A discussion on this topic was brought up after Sotto thought about adding a sports development component as part of his demand reduction strategy on his war on drugs policy under a Lacson presidency.
Sotto is an avid bowler himself who used to represent the country in many international competitions in the past, notably the AMF Bowling World Cup in Bogota, Colombia in 1978 and in Sydney, Australia in 1985.
The vice-presidential candidate mentioned that one of his team mates in the Philippine bowling national team that competed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is a Boholano named Cirilo ‘Liloy’ Fabiosa, who was also a professional basketball player.
Program host Chito Visarra noted that bowling has been declining in its popularity in the country.
Sotto aims to restore this through the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), adding that games like billiards, boxing, and table tennis are also worth promoting and developing.
‘’Everywhere you go, there’s a billiard table and there will always be someone who is good at it. So, I said, we should not forget about bowling. But, you know, it’s a bit expensive that’s why only private corporations own (bowling alleys). But we also have another sports program that we need to develop, table tennis, ping pong,’’ Sotto pointed out.
Seeing that the equipment for table tennis is relatively cheaper than most sports facilities, Sotto said it is possible for the government to set up ping pong tables in every barangay where Filipinos can play and develop their skills, so they could one day represent the country in international competitions.
‘’We have around) 42,047 barangays. Let’s try to put at least two ping pong tables in each one of them, I’m sure there will be someone who is going to be good at it. We are already 110 million Filipinos. I’m pretty sure a world champion in table tennis can emerge,’’ Sotto added.
Lacson and Sotto are both sports enthusiasts. The former used to play boxing during his student years and is a fan of basketball to this day.