CEBU HOSTED the cash-rich 1st Cebu International Invitational Tenpin Bowling Championships over two venues on June 6 to 16, 2019 at the same time the Philippine Bowling Federation (PBF) hosted the Philippine International Open in Manila, which was participated by members of the national team and other international members.
I really thought there was no conflict in schedule when I asked an elite bowler from Cebu if she was joining the Cebu tournament. She said she wasn’t because she was joining the Philippine Open.
That was the first time I learned there was another tournament and when she mentioned one was organized by the PBF while the other was sanctioned by the Philippine Bowling Congress (PBC), the reason behind this finally hit me.
This is the repercussion of the factionism over 10 years ago that saw the PBC getting replaced by the PBF as the national sport association for bowling under the Philippine Olympic Committee umbrella.
And here I was thinking that all is well in the genteel sport that is bowling, which has provided for us many an Asian Games and Southeast Asian games gold, not to mention the World Cup triumphs of Paeng Nepomuceno and Krizziah Tabora.
That two major events were scheduled almost on the same days show how much the other group see the other.
I’m not going to dig into which of the two is doing it right, I just hope that if they don’t see each other eye-to-eye and can’t be in the same room with each other, the least both can do is to make sure major events like these don’t run in conflict.
It’s not fair to the participants and even the sponsors to be caught in the middle of a pissing contest.
This PBC vs. PBF fight is one of the mess that the former POC administration of Peping Cojuangco left for Ricky Vargas to sort out. Vargas took a reconciliatory approach when he started in the POC. I hope all parties involved in both the PBF and PBC will also do the same.
Sure the PBF is now the recognized NSA but it won’t hurt to reach out. Heck, the pool of athletes for bowling in the country isn’t that many, alienating a group won’t do well. Both groups should act for the welfare of the sport and its followers, not the group.