Audi drives support for Louis Coson Friendship Cup

MANILA, Philippines - The Louis Coson Friendship Cup is an annual golf tournament that raises funds for scholarships. This year’s tournament teed off at Tagaytay Midlands Golf Course on March 20 with 150 of the best and brightest players from the corporate and business world to show their support for the cause and their love for the sport.

Robert Coyiuto Jr., Audi Philippines principal, has been a staunch advocate of corporate social responsibility. This year, Audi Philippines and PGA Cars renew their commitment to empowering the Filipino youth through education by teaming up with SM Group of Companies, SM Foundation, Prudential Guarantee & Assurance Inc. in sponsoring the event and the highly coveted hole-in-one prize from PGA’s Audi Showroom, the Audi A4.

Named in honor of the late Louis Coson, a business luminary and well-known benefactor, the tournament was organized by his friends and colleagues, Manuel Chan and Hans Sy. His friends saw fit to combine Louis Coson’s great love for golf with his legacy of charity. Among those present were Audi Philippines head Benedicto T. Coyiuto, the Sy family headed by Henry and Felicidad Sy, together with their children Hans and his wife Carol, Tessie Sy-Coson and Herbert Sy, Tagaytay Highlands and Belle Corporation’s Willy Ocier and Jerry Tiu. Other friends who came to show their support were Johnny Cobankiat, president of Ace Hardware Philippines Inc.; Tony Ang, of Tiara Commercial & Industrial Corp., local distributor of Sanden car air-conditioners and Michelin Tires; and Rolando Hortaleza, chairman and chief executive officer of Splash Corporation.

The tournament raises funds to finance the college education of children of golf caddies. The scholarship grant is managed by the SM Foundation, which is also tasked to monitor the performance of the scholars and attend to their needs. Friends of the Cosons have been holding golf tournaments for the past years, the proceeds of which have gone to the caddies’ fund. Two years ago, they decided to establish the Louis Coson Scholarship Fund to finance the schooling of the children of caddies.

Aside from the basic tuition of the scholars, the fund also shoulders the monthly allowance of the scholars plus all incidental expenses incurred in the course of the scholars’ four-year college education.

The group plans to hold more activities to raise funds to benefit more Filipino scholars.