The agony of being Joy

In any country, being the best marathoner in the land would make one a shoo-in for the national team. But then again, the Philippines is not just any country—as the whole world learned in May last year—and being the best in your field doesn’t even guarantee you a spot in the national pool.

Running is big business in the Philippines—for organizers, sponsors and shoe companies—and in Philippine running, no runner is more famous than Cebu’s very own Olympian, Mary Joy Tabal.

Since she burst into the national scene with a record-setting victory in the Milo Marathon national finals, the question in every one’s mind has always been this—when would Joy race for the national team?

She did, almost belatedly, getting the invitation to join the national team in May 2015 for the Southeast Asian Games that was to be held in June in Singapore. Despite the late notice, she got a silver medal.

That silver would have assured her of a spot in the national team for years, right?

Wrong. She set the PHL 21K record but it went unrecognized. She set the PHL 42K record in Ottawa last year but had to grovel herself back to the good graces of Patafa, which gave in and agreed to take her in provided it’s only until after the Olympics.

True to their word, Patafa sent her a letter mere weeks after the Olympics, telling her that she was “released.”

But then, Joy’s the best in the country. She kept on winning, bagging title No. 4 in the Milo marathon and again, Patafa had to reconsider giving Joy a spot in the SEA Games. This time, it’s different, with Cebuanos at the helm in the Philippine Sports Commission, Joy finally has the support she needs.

But again, this being the Philippines, Patafa stubbornly decided to engage the PSC in a pissing contest, even insulting Joy’s dedication (she’s only after the allowance, the PSC was told.) She has to transfer to Manila to be a member of the national team (US-based athletes weren’t required.)

And the latest? In a perfect slap at Patafa’s stubborn faces, Joy, who again trains on her own thanks to her sponsors, set the 21K record by almost two minutes, and the rest of the country was quick to hail her feat. And Patafa? Crickets.

June starts tomorrow and the 2017 SEA Games is in August, there is still no word if Joy would even be in the national team. Why? Because Patafa, the governing body for track and field in the country, is showing it’s an expert at playing politics. At power play.

I won’t be surprised if Patafa will insist on a 1,000-page long list of requirements before Joy gets to be in the SEA Games.

Anyone willing to form the Vis-Min Track and Field Association?

...Patafa stubbornly decided to engage the PSC in a pissiong contest, even insulting Joy’s dedication.