Estrada heads AFP Cup patrons

President Joseph Ejercito Estrada heads the list of patrons in the inaugural staging of the 18-hole AFP-MFI Scholarship Cup 2000 golf tournament scheduled, rain or shine, today at the Camp Aguinaldo golf course.

AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Angelo T. Reyes and DECS Undersecretary Victor Andres Manhit will fire the ceremonial tee-off.

Instead of the shotgun tee-off, the rules, regulation and scoring committee has decided to have the participants tee-off as they come, from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. either at Hole No. 1 or Hole No. 10. Winter rules will be applied during the championship.

The Chief Executive was also invited to be the honored guest during awarding rites starting at 6 p.m. later in the day at the Tejeros Hall of the AFP Officers Club to be highlighted by the signing of the MOA for the establishment of the President Estrada Perpetual Scholarship chair at the MFI.

A Mitsubishi Lancer GSR 2000 awaits the first to score an ace at the par 3, 180-yard hole No. 17. The winner, however, will have to pay P100,000 for tax and other fees before he is issued the papers of the car. Masters of ceremony are Eric Espina and Lally Laurel.

A golf event for charity aimed to give education to deserving children of the AFP men and women specially those killed or disabled in line of duty. It is the brainchild of Gen. Angelo T. Reyes, and MFI president, Col. Alejandro T. Escaño, who serve as chairman and co-chairman, respectively, of the championship.

Priced at P300,000 per hole, other confirmed hole sponsors as of yesterday, are Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Gen. Angelo Reyes, MFI president Col. Alejandro Escaño (two holes), the late Don Lorenzo F. Escaño (two holes), the late Don Julian L. Teves (two holes), Sen. Ramon B. Magsaysay Jr. and Sen. Loren Legarda.

Escaño yesterday said MFI is very pleased with the tremendous response by civic spirited citizens and their families who answered the call of both AFP and MFI to sponsor the tourney set to raise funds for 15 perpetual scholarships at MFI under which the sons and daughters of the AFP community can avail of the technical school of the MFI.

Newspaper columnist Art Borjal has been invited to chair the scholarship committee which will select the recipients of the MFI scholarships.

Envisioned to serve the Filipino, specially the less privileged, the 27-year-old MFI has been recognized as a leading non-government organization for its high-quality education, training and research-oriented courses in the fields of industrial, agricultural and management technology.