Biz Buzz: Trouble at the Riviera

GOLFERS are passionate about their sport. And more so when it comes to the issue of their golf and country clubs being run to the ground by poor management.

This is the picture being painted by some members of the Riviera Golf Club in Silang, Cavite who recently posted a petition online demanding for the election of a new board of directors immediately.

In the petition, the members of the Riviera—a club comfortably nestled 1,000 feet above sea level and home to two courses designed by Masters champions Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer—pointed out that “the current board of directors has been in power for over 10 years” without a single general membership meeting being called.”

These members then proceeded to post a litany of complaints, some of which were pretty disturbing to hear, especially when concerning a golf course that touts itself as “one of Asia’s most outstanding” (or so it claims on its website).

“Under current management, the conditions of the club materially and financially, have deteriorated to an unacceptable level,” the disgruntled members said. “Management is singularly focused on cost cutting instead of focusing on cost savings through improved operating efficiency.”

One issue raised is that “the nature and benefits of our club as a private members-only facility are being eroded by current management practices and “special arrangements” with certain private individuals.

Regarding its golf facilities, the members said “non-member groups are being permitted to play during allocated member-only hours,” adding “foreign and tourist groups are being permitted to play without being accompanied by a member in good standing.”

“The starters do not enforce timely tee off at the first tees,” it said, and “marshals put groups on the course ahead of playing groups already on the course without requesting permission of the playing groups affected,” and “marshals are intimidated by players and do not enforce pace of play regulations.”

And for golfers who would rather take a ride than walk, the members complained that many of the Riviera’s golf carts were in very poor mechanical condition.

"Golf carts that suffer flat tires, flat batteries or other mechanical problems on the course are not replaced in a timely fashion,” they said.

Also, “dining and locker room facilities are shoddy and in a state of disrepair, dress code and other codes of conduct are not enforced.”

And if that sounds bad, a Biz buzz source also revealed the golf club owes the Cavite provincial government as much as P160 million in unpaid real property taxes. Ouch.

Can government foreclosure be far off?

Alpha female

FORMER Commission on Audit (CoA) chair Maria Gracia Pulido-Tan - one of the “Three Furies” or the Philippines’ alpha-female triumvirate (along with former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales) has had more time to attend to grandmommy duties since retiring from government service early last year. But apart from that, she now has a greater role to play at the The Independent Audit Advisory Committee (IAAC) of the United Nations.

To recall, Tan was elected to the five-member IAAC after retiring from CoA early last year. Created in 2007, IAAC is the body mandated to assist the UN General Assembly in its oversight responsibilities.

The IAAC has unanimously elected Tan to serve as vice chair for 2016 during a session held at the Geneva headquarters in early December. The body also re-elected the incumbent IAAC chair J. Christopher Mihm to this post.

Being part of IAAC since last year is another feather on Tan’s cap, especially being the first Filipino to be part of this body. Her election as vice chair of IAAC is seen as another vote of confidence on the Filipino’s credibility, capability and skills in the international/multilateral scene. It’s probably like winning the Miss Universe pageant for technocrats.

The next session of the IAAC will be on Feb. 17 to 19 2016 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. It is also in the US east coast where the Tans like to chill out to be closer to their apo. Doris Dumlao-Abadilla

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