Philta snubs ITF, courts disaster

MANILA, Philippines — The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has threatened to take formal action against the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) for failure to comply with reportorial requirements and the penalty could be suspension from official team competitions, including the Davis Cup, Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games.

ITF vice president and Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) president Anil Khanna of India is reportedly planning a visit to Manila late this month to check on Philta’s status preparatory to a referral to the Independent Tribunal which is empowered to suspend national associations. Under By-Law 7 of the ITF Constitution, the ITF Board of Directors may investigate or bring a complaint against a national association for “apparent breach of the Constitution or failure to represent the game of tennis adequately.”

Philta has been in a state of flux since the resignation of Paranaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez as president in 2016. There were three attempts to hold elections to replace Olivarez but the POC denied sanction because of unconstitutional procedures. ITF president David Haggerty said Philta must submit a plan of action to expand the representation of its membership before an election may take place. He said “it a widely accepted standard for national sporting federations to comprise and be governed by the sporting clubs in the nation, regional representative organizations for those clubs and each participant in the sport.” Haggerty noted that in Philta’s case, “an exclusive membership base made up of a small number of individuals … does not meet the standard.”

Haggerty initially set a deadline of last Nov. 15 for Philta to submit a register of members, list of national competitions it organizes, roster of tennis clubs, players and coaches under its jurisdiction, schedule of training camps and coaching training sessions, competitions entered by the Philippines and a timetable to effect changes in its Constitution and By-Laws. 

When the deadline passed without a reply from Philta, Haggerty issued an extension to Dec. 4. “If no satisfactory response is received at this time, we will take further action as necessary,” said Haggerty who expressed his disappointment over Philta’s snub in a meeting with Filipino tennis officials Antonio Cablitas, Martin Misa and Randy Villanueva during the ATF annual general assembly in Jakarta last November. Cablitas was elected Philta president last June but the POC declared it unlawful, creating a leadership vacuum. Since Cablitas is not recognized by the POC, he is unable to sign requests for financial assistance to the PSC or authorize Filipino players to represent the country in international events. The ITF continues to recognize Olivarez as Philta president even as he has resigned. 

Villanueva, who was supposed to replace Olivarez in the line of succession as he was Philta vice president but was denied by an elite group that controls the Philta Board of Trustees, said to his knowledge, no reply has been made to the ITF. It appears that Philta has no data on the facts and figures that the ITF requires and will not take the initiative to make changes in the Constitution and By-Laws.

A source said while the direction of national sports associations is to be inclusive, Philta continues to be exclusive. “An NSA can’t be run bara-bara style,” said the source. “The old guard in Philta brought in someone to pay for the staff and maintenance of the office but there are no proper management systems. The old way of doing things has to go. The POC must step in. Philta has a president who is not recognized by the POC, ATF or ITF. The case is similar to what happened in basketball where the BAP was stripped of recognition and the SBP became the NSA. For the good of tennis, it’s time for the new generation to take over.”