Lacson and Sotto expressed their intention to develop other sports programs in the country such as bowling, billiards, and table tennis or ‘ping pong’ on the belief that the skill level and talents of most Filipinos are more suited for these games.

A discussion on this topic was brought up after Sotto thought about adding a sports development component as part of his demand reduction strategy on his war on drugs policy under a Lacson presidency.

Sotto is an avid bowler himself who used to represent the country in many international competitions in the past, notably the AMF Bowling World Cup in Bogota, Colombia in 1978 and in Sydney, Australia in 1985.

The vice-presidential candidate mentioned that one of his teammates in the Philippine bowling national team that competed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is a Boholano named Cirilo ‘Liloy’ Fabiosa, who was also a professional basketball player.

Sotto aims to restore bowling through the Philippine Sports Commission adding that games like billiards, boxing, and table tennis are also worth promoting and developing.

“Kahit saan ka pumunta may bilyaran, may lalabas at lalabas na magaling. So, sabi ko, ‘yang bowling hindi dapat pabayaan. Kaya lang medyo may kamahalan kaya mga private corporation ang may-ari. Pero may isang dapat gawin tayo sa sports program natin, table-tennis, ping pong,” said Sotto. 

Seeing that the equipment for table tennis is relatively cheaper than most sports facilities, Sotto said it is possible for the government to set up ping pong tables in every barangay where Filipinos can play and develop their skills, so they could one day represent the country in international competitions.

“Meron tayong 42,047 barangays lagyan mo lahat ng ping pong table tig-dala-dalawa. Sigurado may lalabas na magaling diyan. E 110 million Filipinos tayo lahat. Hindi pwedeng walang lalabas na world champion diyan sa table tennis,” according to the Senate President.