First Gentleman supports Uratex Caddies tourney

The Uratex National Caddies Championship, the annual gathering of the country’s leading Filipino bag-toters since 1998, will resume this coming December.

Robert Cheng, the man who launched one of the world’s most unique tournaments involving caddies on a national scale, bared this recently after another meeting of the organizing committee.

Cheng also said that he is resuming the tournament in coordination with the First Gentleman Foundation Inc. headed by Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo.

"I’m happy to tell our caddies that we are staging the 14th tournament," said Cheng, president of the RGC Group of Companies, including Polyfoam-RGC Int’l Corp. and Uratex Philippines.

"At the same time, I’m very honored that the First Gentleman is involved in our tournament. In doing so, he has certainly added more prestige to our event."

Other members who were at the meeting were organizing committee co-chairman Col. Abe Villanueva and Manding Santos and members Taby Tabaniag and Roger Flores. Jake Ayson was out of town.

Wack Wack general manager Salvador Malbarosa represented the First Gentleman in the organizing committee meeting held at the Sulo Hotel.

"And I would also like to inform the caddies that there will be an increase in the major prizes," Cheng said. "The men’s team and individual winners will now get P75,000 in gift certificates and television sets each. The women’s champion will receive P20,000."

In the 13th championship in 2000, the major prizes in gift certificates were P66,000 each in the men’s division and P15,000 in the women’s class.

Cheng started the event in 1988 to provide Filipino caddies their own national event, help them financially with hefty prizes in gift certificates and in kind and discover talent.

He shelved the tournament last year with the promise that he would resume it this year.

Cheng is chairman of the executive committee with Capitol Hills president Boy Roman Jr., Capitol Hills vice president Pat Roman and businessman Danny Pe as members.

Sen. Tito Sotto is honorary chairman.

"We are finalizing arrangements when and where we will stage it this year because the tournament’s home, the Capitol Hills Golf and Country Club, is under renovation," Villanueva said.