Abalos on fairway: FORE!

BACOLOD CITY — He wanted to send a message and he felt there was no better way to do it than shoot a team best score in the PAL Seniors Interclub here.

“I wanted to show they’re wrong,” said former Comelec chair Ben Abalos the morning after firing 46 points – eight over par — for Wack Wack in the Founders Division of the 61st edition of the event.

He was alluding to the on-going Senate investigation of the ZTE-NBN broadband deal where he was a central figure in the controversy.

But for the week he was the spearhead of the exclusive Mandaluyong-based club where most of the meetings on the NBN deal were held and fed the fire of scandal that had reached the Senate and the Palace.

“I’m here to relax and as much as possible get away from a stressful environment,” said Abalos.

Still the controversy continued to hound the former Comelec chief, the media descending on the two courses here, and prompting a teammate to say in jest that they’re getting as much exposure despite running fifth in the division.

“It’s like as if we’re leading the tournament with all the media attention,” said old reliable Alex Sison.

The 73-year-old Abalos has been a regular competitor in the Interclub, playing for major clubs like Fort Bonifacio and Luisita before moving to Wack Wack where the former judge and municipal mayor started as a caddy and became its president a few years back.

“There was a time when I won six medals for a number of awards – for best 18, best 36 holes (of play), most number of pars, birdies and so forth. Later on, I won only one,” he said.

There were flashes of the old brilliance Friday when he shot Wack Wack’s best card at the narrow and hazard-laden Bacolod Golf and Country Club layout in Binitin, despite three errant approaches on dreaded shanks to lead the team.

He was to complete play yesterday, go to Iloilo to inspect his fishponds and leave the lush fairways of Negros for Manila and back to what he called “stressful environment.”

“It’s incredible,” he said repeating the charges that he demanded $130 million commission out of the $329 million project “because there would be nothing left for the principal.”

Abalos reiterated earlier in the week that he would try to get the transcript of Senate key witness Rodolfo Lozada’s testimony and will file libel and perjury charges against him. – Lito A. Tacujan