RAMOS SPEARHEADS GOLF FOR A CAUSE
By Alena Mae Flores
FORMER President Fidel Ramos
graced the St. Mary's School of Sagada golf tournament last Nov. 6 to
raise funds for facilities in the school and communities of indigenous
Filipinos in the Cordillera.
Ramos made the ceremonial tee
off in the tournament, as he did during the 1st St. Mary's School of
Sagada golf tournament in 2005. The event was also graced by three
Igorot former members of the House of Representatives, led by Ronnie
Cosalan.
Participants were mostly
officials from the energy and mining sectors and from companies that
supply equipment and provide services to said sectors.
Other participants are alumni
and friends of St. Mary's School, including organizer Rufino Bomasang,
many of whom came down from Baguio and the Cordillera to attend the
tournament.
Sponsors for the event included
Norasian Energy Philippines, Pearl Energy, Philippine National Oil Co.
Exploration Corp., Shell Exploration and Production, Chevron Geothermal
Philippines Holdings, Merritt Partners and MG Mining and Energy Corp.
An interesting feature during
the ceremonial tee off was that an Igorot golfer, Virgilio Bucat (a
successful SMS alumnus, Class 1977, and an active member of the board of
trustees of SMSS) joined Ramos in the ceremonial tee off wearing
G-string, just like his forefathers.
He then changed to a proper golf
attire, joined the golf competition, and became Class A champion with a
gross score of 68 and net score of 65. A non-Igorot, G. Juinio, had the
same gross score as Bucat, but the tie was broken by countback and the
former became the overall champion with the lowest gross score.
Fernan Rimando, another Igorot
(another friend and supporter of SMS, who rose up the corporate ladder
and is now chief financial officer of MG Mining and Energy, as well as
Sultan Mining and Energy) won the Class A second runner-up award with a
gross score of 69 and a net score of 67.
SMS was set up in Sagada,
Mountain Province, Philippines by American missionaries in 1904 to
educate the indigenous people of Northern Luzon, who had refused to
submit to Spanish domination for over three centuries, but had
consequently been marginalized economically.
SMS later rose to become one of
the country's top high schools but deteriorated since the Americans
pulled out in the 1970s.
The alumni therefore decided to
incorporate SMSS to revitalize it and make it once again a top Philippine
high school. One major project is the construction of a covered
gymnasium and multi-purpose building to serve not just SMSS, but the
entire community.
The alumni have raised some
funds to start the project, but still needs to raise a lot more to
continue and finish it.
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