A VETERAN columnist pointed out an interesting tidbit the other day, in explaining why Philippine tennis can’t even play catch-up with the rest of the world. Or how we’re stuck admiring how unknowns from other countries make their name in the grand slams like the Australian Open.

Ding Marcelo, writing for Spin, said the same clique has governed the sport for over 30 years, a group that had no program to speak of.

The Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) headed by 82-year-old Buddy Andrada is so close-knit that in my close to two decades in sports, I don’t even know who sits in the board or who are the members of the group. That’s what the International Tennis Federation wants changed, when it issued a directive to Philta to democratize its membership and open it to the rest of the country.

Aside from that, it also directed Philta to submit its reports on their programs on coaches, officials and players.

That was last year. And, we haven’t heard a whiff from Philta since then. Heck, I don’t even know if it has extended an invitation to tennis stakeholders to be members of the NSA.

All I know is that since the impasse in their presidential elections, private groups like Cebuana Lhuillier and Palawan Pawnshop have been busy conducting their own grassroots tournaments all over the country, as they have done for years past. With or without Philta blessing.

If that’s the case, then perhaps the Philippine Sports Commission should stop sending any financial aid Philta’s way and give it directly to Cebuana and Palawan, since the two are doing what Philta is supposed to be doing--keep the sport alive in the grassroots.

I love tennis. It’s the first sport I ever tried as an eight-year-old in Mindanao. It’s too bad that in the 30 years since, nothing seems to have changed in the sport. Back then, we never heard of Philta, nor felt its presence. Any clinic or tournament was privately organized.

The same holds true now until now.

In the US, the beleaguered gymnastics association was told to undergo a cultural overhaul and all members were asked to resign given how it has turned a blind eye in the awful case involving sexual abuse.

There’s no abuse in Philta, but given the 30 years of inaction and apathy, perhaps it’s time that both POC and PSC ask all the members to resign, give the sport a fresh start.