By NIMROD NL QUIÑONES
Pit Senyor!
This is a greeting that you hear around Cebu these days with the celebration of the feast of the Image of the Holy Child Jesus, who we fondly call the Santo Niño.
The feast of the Santo Niño brings devotees of all ages to Cebu and the Sinulog festival, which we should not confuse with the religious activities, also draws hundreds of thousands to the place once called the Queen City of the South.
I’d love to see Cebu become a real queen city once again, but it seems that our leaders are losing their grip on making our city more livable.
I am not giving up and we can all do our share by not throwing trash just anywhere during the solemn procession and the festival.
What really irritates me is seeing all the garbage left by the revelers after each activity. If you want a cleaner Cebu, then look for a trash bin and dispose of your waste there.
Another thing you can do to help is to follow traffic rules and park only in designated areas.
We keep on complaining about how our city is going to the dogs, but if we do not do anything and always leave matters up to the authorities, we can never see our dreams come true.
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The biggest golfing event in Cebu this month got hit, not by bad weather, but a disruption caused by a group of caddies, who want to form a labor union.
The 33rd Coral Invitational, Cebu Country Club’s annual member-guest tournament, was disrupted when the group of caddies wanting to organize a union blocked the gate of the club.
This situation at Cebu Country Club will be one that golf clubs all over the country would be watching. As far as I know having played golf since 1995 and having sat as manager of a club for over a year, the caddies are not our employees, but earn from players to carry our bags, give us advise, help us find our balls, and guide players with the local rules as well as the rules of the game.
Caddies work maybe for a maximum of six hours on days when there are lots of players on the course. Most golfers would not only pay them the mandate caddie fee, but also leave a tip. For work that takes only 3 hours sometimes, they get Php 500.
Aside from the caddie fee and the tip, majority of players also offer their caddies food and drinks.
If you have a regular caddie, they also sometimes become sort of part of your family as they often run to you for help in times of need and also during celebrations like baptisms and graduations of their children and you give them extra for their family.
Many also receive golf equipment, shoes, clothes, food, and household appliances from their players.
I know of caddies who get grocery allowance from their players and whose kids are getting scholarships from their players.
If there is one job with such fringe benefits, no pun intended, it is being a caddie, but it is not the golf club that pays then or gives the benefits, but the individual players who hire their services.
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MILESTONES: Happy birthday greetings go to Reina Corpuz, Dr. Ignacio Catelo, Butch Mollaneda, Joy Fajardo, and Sheilla Abella-Demeterio.
Belated greetings go to Tonton Fenequito-Salgado, Nino Bascon, Yuta Naito, Oscar Señerpida, Col. Rozzano Briguez, Risa Fe Mabuyo-Palacio, and to the SL of the PMA Cebu Squad — Chief Supt. Augusto Morales Marquez, Jr.
More power to all of you!
