A change in leadership is coming in the Philippine Tennis Association.
PHILTA president Atty. Antonio Cablitas said this after the Philippines was barred by the International Tennis Federation from competing in international team competitions, including this year’s Davis Cup.
Cablitas, in a recent radio interview, said he is ready to vacate his post and give way to a new leader.
The PHILTA chief, who is in a feud with officials of another group from within the tennis community, the United Tennis Philippines, plans to give way to long-time board member Oscar Hilado.
Cablitas explained that the PHILTA is in the midst of presenting its new set of officers and a revised charter before the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
After that, they will go back to the ITF and appeal for the lifting of a two-year sanction imposed on PHILTA.
“Something will move forward from here, because I don’t intend to stay long. I will hand this to Mr. Hilado at ayoko sa pulitiko,” said Cablitas, adding that this was among the things he discussed with Senator Bong Go, who inquired about the status of the association.
PHILTA officials came out with a synopsis which explained the the association’s status.
“We hope that the ITF leadership will be enlightened as to PHILTA’s initiatives and successes since June 2017. We also appeal that appropriate actions be taken by the ITF leadership, if only to rectify a clearly erroneous recommendation of suspension which has absolutely no basis and clearly unfounded,” added Cablitas in a statement.
The suspension of the organization was enforced by the ITF last year when four PHILTA Trustees, identified as founding members of the UTP, filed complaints before an ITF-created Independent Tribunal in February 2020.
The UTP, led by businessman-sports Jean Henri Lhuillier, detailed its misunderstandings with other members of the PHILTA board.