EMA CUP STAGES 20TH EDITION, CELEBRATES 33 YEARS OF EXISTENCE

June 8, 2025 Community Billboard

EMA Cup is celebrating its 20th edition, but the fun golf had a much longer history and had supported causes in the three decades it was staged. “It all started in 1992,” said namesake lawyer Edgar M. Avila. He was the Youth Representative to Congress and was behind the construction of the PFVR Youth Center in between the Department of Education – Baguio Division Office and the Quezon Elementary School. Camp John Hay was under then the Bases Conversion Development Authority with Silverio dela Cruz as general manager and the youthful congressman wanted to raise funds “to fund the maintenance of the newly constructed PFVR Youth Center at Upper Session Road.” Actually he was instrumental in putting up the sports/youth facility and named it after then president Fidel V. Ramos which “was a sports center, recreational hall, an everlasting legacy then Cong Ed wanted to leave for the people of Baguio where he was born and raised.

It now stands as a symbol for his belief in serving from the heart.” The one-day fun tournament of the Rotary Club Downtown Session Charter President was formalized fiver years later with the staging of the 1st EMA CUP Golf Tournament on February 16, 1997 at the Camp John Hay Golf Course with the PFVR and Action Inc., a Baguio Based Communication Group, as beneficiary. Through the golf event, four ambulances were acquired through the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and were distributed to the Baguio General Hospital Medical Center with two, and one each for the Rotary and the Action Inc., while the latter also got one emergency tow-truck. Some 200 golfers joined the very first EMA Cup with the late President Ramos, the First Lady Amelita Ramos and top officials of Baguio and Benguet as guests.

The cup would become an annual sporting event that attracted various personalities including then President Gloria Arroyo, House Speaker Jose C. de Venecia, vice president Jojemar Binay, Sen. Bong Revilla and then Sen Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. among others. It is in fact the very first golf for a cause event staged by a local, much older than the annual Domogan Cup, by congressman-elect Mauricio Domogan or the Bishop Cup, which the late Baguio-Benguet bishop Carlito Cenzon started that raised funds for the construction or improvement of churches in Baguio and Benguet, Avila said. The 20th Edition of the EMA CUP, in a briefer given by the RCDS “would benefit of the various projects” of the civic organization now headed by President Ryan Gumaya and the St. Theresa of Avila Foundation.

The expected player-participants registered so far come all the way from Laguna, Manila and of course the Baguio-Benguet Area, the club added. The golf for a cause will “augment the funding of their present and forthcoming medical missions, feeding programs, scholarship programs, and other worthy projects which they have been undertaking for the past years.” It will also provide school toilets, water system in Itogon, to stage medical missions in Kibungan and other parts of Benguet, as well as blood-letting activities, wheelchair-giving, college scholars. The club said that at one point, it was able to raise some P5 million which was given to the BGHMC to provide dialysis for patients with renal problems. The fun golf on June 7 at the PInewood Golf and Country Club will have a ? ?2025 Toyota Vios 1.3? as grand prize during the ?Grand Raffle in the awards ceremony.

Other prizes include a 3 days-2 nights stay at the Fairways & Bluewater in Boracay (exclusive of airfare); a Mastiff 125 cc motorcycle; two airline tickets for Hongkong, via Hongkong Express (exclusive of hotel accommodation) and 10 consolation prizes. Avila said that tickets for the tournament inclusive of raffle ticket is PhP5,000 for golfers, while non-players can avail of raffle tickets at PhP1,000. The golf event is backed by Fernando Tiong and the Parkway Medical Center and Residences and Megapines Realty and Development, Inc., Paul Lalwany and the Laafayette Luxury Suits and Mountain Province Rep. Maximo Dalog, Jr. Other sponsors are the Pyesta Diner by lawyer Michael Fred Go, Bureau of Internal Revenues director Douglas Rufino and Emir Pylos Island Resort by Franz Ruzzel Pablo.

Hole sponsors are Dr. Sherry Ong-Cunanan and Fortune Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant, Paragon Hotel, Golden Pine Hotel, Metro Bank – Baguio, through area head Nonette DG Silva and Session Road branch Jeffrey Sese, Metro-Baguio Lions Club through president Ray Olarte, Newtown Hotel, Baguio Masonic Lodge No. 87, Pines Estate Gaming Corporation Baguio by Raffy Lajara, lawyer Nicasio Aliping, Jr., First La Union Leisure Entertainment and Gaming Corporation, San Fernando, La Union by Danilo Arcilla, , Chairman of the Board/President and Nelson Corpus, the Baguio Apaches led by chief Karl Gabaen, the Benguet Electric Cooperative through General Manager Melchor Licoben; RCDS president Ryan Gumaya and past president Katrina Victoria Sevilla-Gumaya, the Puerto San Juan through its president Emmanuel Noel Clemente, Standard Insurance, Rotary Club district Gov. Ariel Jersey, Nippon Safeholdings and Formworks Corp., the Baguio Country Club through GM Anthony de Leon and Manjit Reandi, chairman and president of the John Hay Management Corporation.

Other backers are Chinabank, Musar Music Corp through Bernadette Are VC al Avila, Honda Inc., One Loyalty Lending Baguio, Joel Aliping and the Baguio Water District. The Club is also thanking the mayor Benjamin Magalong led Good Governance Alliance, the Bank of Commerce and Kanvass Salon and Cafe. The event has the Amianan Balita Ngayon under editor/publisher Thom Picaña, the Big Sound Radio and RNG Luzon as media partners. Tee time is 5AM. Pinewood members will use the System 36 Stableford scoring system, while the medal system applies for guests in the four category, one day tournament.

Pigeon Lobien/ABN