Manotoc new NGAP head

TOMMY Manotoc, the former national team mainstay who became a Grand Slam winning PBA coach on the side, was yesterday elected as the new National Golf Association of the Philippines president.

The 62-year-old who used to chair the NGAP’s youth development program said he will be a “working president” as he vowed to continue “promoting golf development by putting up quality tournaments all over the country.”

Representing Canlubang, Manotoc, who first joined the board in 2010, topped the voting with 46, the same number of votes garnered by former president Rod Feliciano.

Feliciano earned another term as chair, while Caloy Coscoluella, representing Alabang, was elected vice president after getting 43 votes in the polls at the Manila Yacht Club.

Jun Galindez, the former Alabang GC president, is the new secretary-general.

Abe Rosal, another representative of Canlubang, was named treasurer with Pueblo de Oro’s Alice Andrada as the new auditor.

Philip Ella Juico, the former Philippine Sports Commission chair and current president of Wack Wack, was elected to the board together with Armed Forces GC’s Gen. Bonifacio de Castro, Eastridge’s Erwin Temeña, Baguio CC’s Federico Agcaoili, and Raymond Bunquin of Sherwood Hills.

One of Manotoc’s programs before joining the NGAP was the National Caddies’ Open, which produced former PH team mainstays Jonel Ababa, Mark Fernando, Jessie Balasabas and Rufino Bayron.

Manotoc, individual champion in the Seniors division of the PAL Interclub, was also chiefly responsible in giving Jobim Carlos and Rupert Zaragosa the exposure needed to boost their amateur careers.

“It’s really good that premier clubs have started to come back,” said Manotoc, citing the entry of Sherwood while adding that Apo has also promised to rejoin the country’s golf body.