Alleged attempt to destabilize NGAP hit

The National Golf Association of the Philippines yesterday deplored an alleged attempt to undermine the gains made by the present NGAP leadership through years of hardwork.

"We cannot allow this," said NGAP president Rod Feliciano in a statement. "We at the NGAP have scored so much victories and gains during the last four years of our rebuilding programs and now come these dark forces out to destroy us once again."

Feliciano, represented in the PSA Forum yesterday at the Manila Pavilion by NGAP secretary-general Benny Gopez, said all are in place for the NGAP’s smooth operations toward a "stronger golf association for the benefit of everybody."

Feliciano said he would use all his powers to block the illegal moves of this group within the framework of the NGAP Constitution as he noted the concern from the NGAP member-clubs nationwide "after reading in some newspapers the disinformation campaign by some disgruntled forces."

Andy Dumlao, who was appointed NGAP director last year, was named by Gopez as one of those "peddling lies to the legitimate NGAP members" in a desperate attempt to "grab power from the legally-installed leadership in the association."

Gopez scored Dumlao for "his careless and baseless statements about an alleged amnesty in place to bail out members and make them active members again of the NGAP."

Reacting to the charges, Dumlao, in a separate statement, wondered how a minority in the board like him could "destabilize the present NGAP leadership" even as he reiterated his appeal to his colleagues in the board "to show their statesmanship and subject themselves to an election without pre-conditions."

"I cannot understand how this appeal (for unifying the golf community) could be an attempt to grab power, unless there are quarters who prefer to perpetuate themselves in their positions rather than subject themselves to a fresh mandate," said Dumlao.

"I think this is just a case of some people not liking or refusing to listen to the message, so the messenger was shot instead," he added.

Dumlao earlier said that the NGAP offered amnesty for every club to reactivate its NGAP membership if it had been delinquent with its annual dues with a P10,000 re-entry fee.

"That’s a barefaced lie, of course. The P10,000 fee that he has been peddling all along is the admission fee for new members," said Gopez.

The amnesty program, according to Gopez, that the NGAP put in place were for members who were in arrears of their dues in 2001 and below.

"All the arrears not paid by member clubs in 2001 and below had been written off by way of the NGAP’s reconciliation program," said Gopez. "Those who have good records and have paid in 2001 and below could have credits and therefore they are carried into 2002 and 2003 and thus make them members in good standing again."

In a circular to all member clubs of the NGAP released recently, they were reminded of the 2002 amendment of the Constitution that each member of a club is assessed "only P150" as annual dues to do away with the previous ruling that a 9-hole course will have to pay P25,000 as a member and for an 18-hole course P50,000.