CEBU CITY – His stint with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) may have ended already but Filipino basketball Ramon Fernandez is not stopping with his quest to help aspiring talents to make it big not just nationally but also in the international scene.
RAMON Fernandez (left), wife Karla, and Boobi Kintanar, executive director of the Ramon S. Fernandez Sports and Youth Development Foundation, show some of the giveaways for the upcoming 1st El Presidente Cup: The Ramon Fernandez Charity Golf Tournament. (Calvin D. Cordova) Through the Ramon S. Fernandez Sports and Youth Development Foundation (RSFSYDF), Fernandez is seeking to gather funds that would enable him to organize various sports competitions that would give athletes an avenue to hone their skills. One of the fund-raising drives that Fernandez is initiating is the 1st El Presidente Cup: The Ramon Fernandez Charity Golf Tournament, which is scheduled on June 11 at the newly opened, 18-hole Liloan Golf and Leisure Estates in Liloan town, northern Cebu. “I am inviting all golf enthusiasts to take part in our charity golf tournament. This is the first major activity for our fund-raising drives,” said the four-time Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) MVP in a press conference on Tuesday, May 23. Exciting prizes await participating golfers, Fernandez said. Holes-in-one prizes are P100,000 cash, a brand-new Aprilia motorcycle SGT 200, a brand-new Honda Brio, a brand new Jetour Dashing, and a brand-new Toyota Hilux Conquest. Registration fee is pegged at P5,000 inclusive of green fee, caddy fee, and golf cart. Fernandez said that the RSFSYDF recently launched the second series of the “El Presidente Autograph Cards.” The second series of the PBA Hall of Famer’s collectible cards features his playing years with Purefoods, Beer Hausen, and the Philippine team. Fernandez said the first series of the collectible cards sold “like hotcakes.” “You know, when we launched it last October at P3,500 per card, someone bought one. A week after, a friend sent me a screenshot of that same card being sold in Greenhills for P7,500 already. And yes, it was sold!” exclaimed Fernandez. Fernandez said proceeds of the collectible cards will be a big help in funding his foundation’s future activities. Aside from the limited edition collectible cards and the upcoming 1st El Presidente Cup, the RSFSYDF has also lined up several fund-raising events which include a marathon, a 3x3 basketball challenge, a Visayas-Mindanao basketball league, a masters shooting championships, and a museum of basketball. Fernandez said his foundation will be active in organizing sports events to give aspiring athletes maximum exposure. “We want to give regular competitions for these athletes to hone their skills. That will cost a lot of money that’s why we are asking help from our corporate friends and private individuals to help us. You can go to our website to donate small amounts and support, identify, and develop these athletes and more importantly develop the traits that will make them successful in life,” Fernandez said. During his stint as a PSC commissioner, Fernandez initiated programs aimed at discovering potential talents – something that he intends to do even in private capacity. Fernandez said his passion for sports never waned after the foundation was established in 1996. “I want this to make a legacy on my part. I guess once a sportsman, always a sportsman. I picked up sports during my elementary days and I can very well say what sports can do to our youth. It takes them away from bad vices. It allows them to go to school and to go to the school that they want for that matter because when you become good at a certain sport, schools will really pursue you,” said Fernandez.