MANILA, Philippines - The Men of St. Joseph (MSJ) will use a "rich man's game" to help the poor as they stage the MSJ-Santuario de San Jose Charity Golf Tournament on its third year.   

Parish priest Fr. Noel Magtaas, OSJ, described the upcoming event, which will take place on March 9 at the Wack Wack Golf & Country Club in Mandaluyong City, as "unique and out of the box".

“This is a different golf tournament… Nakapaglaro ka na, nakatulong ka pa,” he said.

Tee-off is at 8 a.m.

Proceeds of the event will benefit the construction of the St. Joseph Pastoral Center for the poor of West Crame in San Juan City and support the street children of Silong Tanglaw Center for street children along Araneta Avenue in Quezon City. Other projects lined up for the West Crame community are the establishment of a daycare center, library, clinic and a multipurpose hall for livelihood skills training.

Tournament fee is P3,500 inclusive of lunch and a raffle ticket. Freebies will also be given to participants.

The MSJ-Santuario de San Jose Charity Golf Tournament 3 will be held for the first time in Wack Wack, one of the oldest golf clubs in the country and considered as one of the best golf courses in the world.

Its inaugural event was held in 2008 at the Forrest Hills Golf & Country Club in Antipolo City while its 2009 edition took place at the Valley Golf and Country Club also in Antipolo.

Event sponsors are San Miguel Corporation, PAGCOR Sports, Bench, Stradcom and Jollibee while hole sponsors are The Glass Garden and Philippine Prudential Life Insurance Company.

Gentleman’s game

Fr. Noel explained why they chose golf for their sports fundraiser.

“Golf is a game for gentlemen,” he said. “[There is a] gentlemen’s agreement and a gentlemanly observance of the rules.”

“We took that in order to introduce the gentleman saint who is St. Joseph,” he noted.

The MSJ-Santuario de San Jose Charity Golf Tournament 3 is one of the parish’s activities in preparation for the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19. There will also be a Festival of Fathers, a recollection and outreach project for fathers, on March 6, Saturday.

Interested participants may go to the Santuario de San Jose Parish Office in Greenhills East, Mandaluyong City or call (02) 725-2044 and Telefax (02) 724-4139. They can also e-mail nbmosj@yahoo.com.ph for ticket inquiries. – by Ma. Rosanna Mina, abs-cbnNEWS.com