Last October 13, a post made by the UP Golf Club went viral online as a certain section in the post made a very controversial statement.
In the said post, they expressed their gratitude to everyone who participated in their recently held event with the hashtag #golfisforall.
What really caught people’s attention was the hashtags they used which are #golfisforall and #wagnyopokaminakawansacampus. The latter tag, however, has now been edited out and is no longer visible in the post.
Concerned social media users took to the comment section to express their disappointment, highlighting that this is going against what they really stand for. They opposed the idea “golf is for all,” stating that it’s insensitive, as it’s evident that not all Filipino people or students have the means to play the sport.
Some even say that the university is now full of “burgis [bourgeoisie]” who don’t need free tuition.
With the outpouring backlash from the comments, the club issued a statement on October 16 clarifying the issues that people may have concerns about.
The post wrote, “At the UP Golf Club, we strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for UP students who share a passion for golf and provide them with opportunities to learn, experience, and foster camaraderie and sportsmanship through the sport.”
They apologized for adding the hashtag “#wagnyopokaminakawansacampus” which caused all of the misunderstanding. What caused them to place the controversial hashtag on the post is that the safety of the members was “at risk.”
The golf club aims to continue to hold projects that would make this sport more inclusive and accessible such as conducting free tutoring services, free golf clinics, open-to-all golf driving range sessions, and training for students who would want to compete in golf tournaments.
They clarified that all of the projects proposed will be funded through income-generating projects and sponsorships that would be managed by the members of the club and the UP alumni golf patrons and not from the university.
The statement concluded by thanking the UP community for understanding and assured everyone that they are dedicated to serving the members of the community.
Pages have also started to lampoon them:
Other POP! stories that you might like:
Filipinos poke fun at Yexel Sebastian’s denial over alleged involvement in PHP200M investment scam
‘What’s the secret?’ Filipino Dietitian analyzes the weight loss journey of Viy Cortez
