‘The reason given is that it requires the approval of NGAP’s secretary general. This list should be in the public domain and available to anyone that requests it. Clubs should not have to sue to be able to see it.’
Already, 19 candidates have been announced to run for the 5 April elections of the National Golf Association of the Philippines board of trustees.
They include incumbents like sitting president Martin Lorenzo, vice president Rolando Romero, treasurer Alfredo Panlilio and directors Jose Inigo, Vicente Santos, Jose Dagdagan, Jose Amado Angeles, Arnold Corporal and Rafael Perez de Tagle.
Also nominated are Lt. Gen. Connor Anthony Canlas, Nilo Cruz, Leana Farrales-Carmona, Lt. Gen. Charlton Sean Gaerlan, Cesar Jalosjos, Willy Ocier, Juan Roxas, Rodolfo Soriano Jr. and Lawrence Tan.
The list also includes former congressman Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo who is set to challenge Lorenzo for the presidency.
But that won't stop golf stakeholders from raising questions on how NGAP has been handling the election processes.
Top golf influencer Mike Besa, who has tens of thousands of members in his Pinoygolfer Facebook page and Play it Right Viber group, called out the NGAP for not allowing "the opposition" to see list of member clubs.
"The reason given is that it requires the approval of NGAP's secretary general. This list should be in the public domain and available to anyone that requests it. Clubs should not have to sue to be able to see it," Besa wrote.
He was referring to NGAP sec-gen Bones Floro. But that falls under the jurisdiction of the Nomination and Election Committee or Nomelec which has been formed earlier — by the NGAP itself.
Chaired by lawyer Avelino Sumagui of Luisita Golf and Country Club, the other members are lawyer Marcus Andaya of Valley Golf and Country Club, Raymond Bunquin of Forest Hills Golf and Country Club, Norbert Chico of Splendido Taal Golf Club, and Jose Gerard Asuncion of Eastridge Golf Club.
Tribune Golf tried to get in touch with Floro and at least one of the Nomelec members, but they failed to comment.
Besa also raised the issue of the proxy forms which he said was changed in format.
The Nomelec, he said, "has taken steps to make it more difficult for the member clubs to vote. First, they've created a different form that must be used for the clubs to assign their proxy. As long as the document from each club clearly indicating their proxy is signed by the authorized representative of the club and duly notarized, the document should be considered legal."
Iloilo Golf and Country Club was first to complain about the delayed election date in its letter to the NGAP dated 20 December.
Only recently, Rodolfo Soriano, through his lawyer Jan Freeman Villegas, claimed he was denied nomination as representative of Tagaytay Highlands Golf and Country Club allegedly for failing to make the 26 February deadline whose notice he said came in late.
