BIZ BUZZ: Mango Tee saga: Villafuerte strikes back
After the disqualification of the top two winning teams, the 38th Mango Tee Tournament controversy is far from over.
Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymond “LRay” Villafuerte—member of one of the two teams asked by Alabang Country Club to return their trophies—sent a strongly worded three-page demand letter hinting at legal action to claim damages unless the board issues a new resolution clearing his team of any wrongdoing.
The bottom line: Villafuerte vehemently protested being thrown into the same basket as the erstwhile tournament overall winning team that had been booed during the awarding ceremony amid allegations of sandbagging.
While willing to comply with the directive to return the trophies previously awarded to him and his partner as Division III Team champions, Villafuerte refuted any implication of misconduct in the board resolution.
“The Resolution, as presently worded, may be understood by the public to imply that I manipulated scores or engaged in improper conduct, and worse, cheated, with caddies or flight mates—allegations, imputations and insinuations that I categorically and unequivocally deny,” Villafuerte said in a letter dated Feb. 10.
He protested that the description of having “incredible” and “statistically improbable” scores—cited by the board as reasons for the disqualification—had been applied to his team.
Villafuerte said it was Mark Leviste (vice chair of the the organizing committee and father of the earlier-declared overall winner Ronin Leviste) who had made “false accusations” that his playing partner was a senior professional golfer.
“My partner, Mr. Edward Francisco, is below 50 years of age and is neither a professional golfer nor a teaching professional, having never competed in any professional tournament. This clarification was established immediately and should have conclusively resolved the issue,” Villafuerte said.
Furthermore, he said the handicap of 21 assigned to him was not his choice, but the committee’s. This was as he lamented what he described as the board’s “susceptibility to undue influence.”
“I am an 18 handicap from the white tee, as I am 57 years old and am considered a senior in golf. Regarding my score, there were two other participants who were part of our flight who can attest to the fact that there was no manipulation from my end to affect my score,” he said.
The politician said this was the first time that he had ever been subjected to such “manifest unfairness, malicious imputations and undue ridicule because of a golf tournament.”
“I place the highest value on my reputation and have done nothing to deserve this unjust treatment. Accordingly, I hereby formally demand that the Board issue, without delay, a corrected and unequivocal statement clarifying its earlier resolution and expressly stating that I was not involved in any irregularity, nor were my scores unusual or statistically improbable,” he said.
But the closing of Villafuerte’s letter is the most audacious: “Finally, it is opportune for the Board to consider expulsion for both Mark and Ronin Leviste for conduct unbecoming of a member of the Club. They have purported themselves dishonorably, to the damage of the club and its members.”
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