By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Camarines Sur Governor Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte denied any wrongdoing after he and partner Francis Edward Tolentino were disqualified from the Mango Tee member-guest tournament at the Alabang Golf and Country Club recently.
In an interview with DZRH anchor Deo Macalma, Villafuerte said they are willing to return their trophies, but insisted that their overall score was “believable” after finishing second behind Ronin Leviste and Darren Flores in the Overall Net category.
The board of directors of the Alabang Golf Club unanimously voted to void the victories of the said two pairs after other players protested the winning scores due to the “highly unusual and statistically improbable submitted scores.”
The board asked the two pairs to return the trophies awarded to them.
“Ayoko na po yung mga insinuation na may nangyaring mali, kasi yun po ang insinuation na parang may mali kaming ginawa,” Villafuerte said in the interview.
“Sana in-explain nila, unbelievable raw yung score. Yung sa amin po, believable. Yung sa kabila ang hindi, so nadamay talaga kami,” he added.
Villafuerte and Tolentino posted a combined 175, shooting rounds of 86 and 89 to secure runner-up honors, with Villafuerte playing off a 21-handicap.
He clarified that the controversy surrounding their pairing was not about their score, but rather claims that his partner was a “senior pro.” Villafuerte defended Tolentino, noting that he is 48 years old and is not a professional golfer.
Initially, Villafuerte and Tolentino posted the best score.
“Ang nangyari po, kami yung lamang pero binawasan yung handicap ni Ronin (Leviste). Biglang nagwala raw itong si Mark Leviste sa golf committee. Biglang ginawa siyang (Ronin) champion,” Villafuerte told the DZRH host.
“Bago po nag-awarding, kami po yung nag-champion. Ang daming nag-congratulate. Meron po akong pruweba, ipinost eh. After ten minutes, binura,” he added.
At the awards ceremony, Villafuerte opted not to take the stage for his runner-up trophy, saying the crowd was still booing the winners.
“Sila po yung umakyat sa stage na binoo. Nakakalungkot na pati kami nadamay ba,” he said.
Villafuerte hopes the Alabang board will clear up what he called a flawed statement on the matter.
“Pero mali yung (statement na) in-issue ng Mango Tee committee. Mali-mali po. Wala naman pong pandaraya na nangyari. Nagulat lang ako sa board resolution. Nakakalungkot na nadadamay po ako diyan,” he said.
