Former congressman Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo made one thing clear on Thursday: He’s not picking a fight with anybody.
A candidate for one of the 11 National Golf Association of the Philippines board of trustees, Arroyo said he’s only after the fair conduct of the 5 April elections at the Alabang Country Club.
The “godfather” of the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines, Arroyo is seeking a spot in the board and eventually challenging the two-term incumbent NGAP president Martin Lorenzo.
“I don’t have anything bad to say about them, I’m just asking to safeguard the process of the elections. It’s not a bad thing,” said Arroyo in a dinner with select golf writers at Wack Wack’s East Room.
The premise of his plea was about the NGAP seemingly turning a deaf ear on their request to release the list of clubs eligible to vote.
There are about 140 clubs across the country and Arroyo’s camp is confident they got at least 70 percent of it.
But they are wary of those proxy votes getting discredited at the last minute, considering the proxy forms were changed recently with insinuations that they had to be strictly followed.
“I remember the late Bayani Fernando when he was running as standard bearer for Lakas, he was asked what if he wasn’t chosen.
“And he replied, ‘as long as the process is fair, it’s good for me because it will define the character of this party,”’ Arroyo said.
He said having the elections tinged with controversy would besmirch the reputation of the golf association as well as the officials themselves.
“Look, we are all businessmen here, golf is not a source of income for us. Most probably we all have to spend for golf out of our own pockets.
“Masama sa reputasyon namin kung itong golf lang dinaya pa namin (It’s damaging for our reputation if we are found not playing fair in such a small matter as a golf election),” Arroyo said.
Given the chance, Arroyo said he will, among others, bolster the grassroots program through the JGFP which has produced the likes of Rianne Malixi.
He would also promote women’s golf, encourage United States training program for Filipino coaches, improve handicap system, revive the Philippine Open and introduce access programs to golf clubs.
“Am not saying am the best candidate, but I listen to people to get things done I will never pretend to know more than them because I don’t.
“Hindi pwedeng nag hahari-harian, dapat servant ka (You can’t be the ruler, you must be the servant),” he said.
