Mike Cup slated to benefit youths

The country’s out-of-school youth will be the beneficiaries of the First Gentleman’s Cup slated at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club’s West course on June 27.

"When my friends asked me to be a part of this tournament, I agreed when they told me that its main goal is to raise funds for these youths," said Jose Miguel ‘Mike’ Arroyo yesterday.

"With them as beneficiaries, I immediately agreed to lend my name. Now, I’m inviting the generous souls out there to join us in this undertaking."

Tony Cabangon Chua, the organizing committee overall chairman, said the tournament is set on the very birthday of the honoree.

He also said the event is for the benefit of Project OYSTER, the acronym for "Out-of-School Youth Serving Towards Economic Recovery."

Project OYSTER is now being carried out by police districts all over the country, in cooperation with national government agencies, local government units, business and economic associations, youth-oriented organizations and civic groups.

The project began last Jan. 21 at barangay Commonwealth, Quezon City in the course of President Arroyo’s consultation meeting with depressed communities.

During the meeting, Kristong Hari parish priest Fr. James Gaa appealed to the President to act on the growing number of out-of-school youth and their rising involvement in criminality in the area.

She later directed Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Tor to formulate a police-oriented program that would curb the incidence of juvenile criminality and at the same time extend emergency economic assistance program to the community’s out-of- school youth.