‘POOR AND PITIFUL’: Golf community calls for Senate inquiry on ‘Tapal-gate’

Normally reserved and choosy of its battles, a big chunk of the Filipino golf community online on Wednesday pushed for a Senate inquiry on the “embarrassing” lack of uniform of the national golfers during the Paris Olympics.

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go led the call-out on sports officials following the recent viral rant of Olympian Dottie Ardina on Facebook.

The senator said he was saddened by the issue which has now been termed “Tapal-gate,” because of Ardina’s previous videos showing her crudely sticking flag patches on her uniform using double-adhesive tape.

“I feel the hurt of our athletes,” said Go in a statement written in Filipino.

“I didn’t expect this especially because we pushed for additional P30 million funds just for the Olympic preparation…That’s on top of the P500,000 each of financial help for the Olympics and Paralympics.”

Play It Right, an online community with more than 1,400 active members, sought out Sen. Go and encouraged a Senate inquiry.

“We call on our other senators who are for our athletes’ welfare to join Senator Bong Go in this effort,” said Play It Right founder Mike Besa.

“Our athletes have been treated unfairly and unjustly for the longest time and things have to change. We were embarrassed by our own sports officials’ ineptitude in the biggest global sports stage.”

The Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines, meanwhile, offered to provide uniform for Team Philippines as the biggest controversy continues to rock local golf.

“A lot of foreign associations are now aware of the ‘Tapal-gate’ scandal,” wrote JGFP president Oliver Gan on their FB page.

“As president of the JGFP we pledge to dress up Philippine Golf team in 2028 LA Olympics courtesy of Filipino golf groups in LA (Los Angeles). Guaranteed full gear (for players) and giveaways for spectators.”

National Golf Association of the Philippines secretary general Bones Floro had earlier explained the delay in re-submission of uniform requirement — after the original uniform design was turned down — caused it to be held at French Customs longer than necessary.

Yet Ardina rued the fact that there were only two Filipino players in Paris but officials failed to make contingencies.

Two days before competitions at Le Golf National, NGAP brought Paris-bought uniforms for her and Bianca Pagdanganan but they were too small and in different brands and style, according to the 30-year-old Ardina.

“And the word PHI was printed under the collar, in such a way it can’t be seen,” said Ardina in a lengthy FB post written in Filipino.

“I said it was embarrassing because people are noticing the flags peeling off our shirts and understood that we don’t have official uniform.”

She added that she hopes next time “no Philippine team or Filipino athlete would look like “poor and pitiful” in such global stage like the Olympics.