Mary Joy Tabal. FILE Photo from Cebu Daily News
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chair Butch Ramirez will make a last-ditch stand to settle the controversy surrounding Mary Joy Tabal’s participation in the Southeast Asian Games.
Ramirez said Thursday he would set up a meeting with athletics chief Philip Ella Juico to discuss whether the Rio de Janeiro Olympian should be included in the final roster of Filipino athletes to the Kuala Lumpur Games on Aug. 19 to 30.
“I believe the best way to settle a problem is to sit down and talk about it,” said Ramirez. “I will reach out to him (Juico). Perhaps we can talk Tuesday next week or even tomorrow if there’s a chance.”
Juico announced early this week that Tabal, the first Filipino female marathoner to race in the Olympics, was not in the list of tracksters bound for Kuala Lumpur.
“If Tabal really doesn’t deserve the slot [in the team], we’re going to embrace that. But if she deserves to be given a spot, Popoy (Juico) has to embrace it,” said Ramirez.
Juico said Tabal resigned from the national team right after the Rio de Janeiro Olympics last year and has not communicated with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa), a claim the four-time Milo marathon champion denied.
PSC commissioner Ramon Fernandez said the Cebu City government came up with a resolution asking Juico and Patafa to reconsider its decision on Tabal.