FEBRUARY 10, 2026 — The annual Mango Tee at Alabang is supposed to be about camaraderie, competition, and bragging rights among golfers. But this year, the headlines weren’t about birdies or eagles — it was about scores so unbelievable that the crowd jeered when the trophies were handed out.

Two teams, including the pair of Camarines Sur Governor LRay Villafuerte and Edward Francisco, saw their wins scrapped after the Alabang Country Club board reviewed the numbers. The verdict? The scores were “highly unusual and statistically improbable.” Translation: they didn’t add up.

We’re talking about a 36-under and a 31-under over two days. For anyone who knows golf, those figures are practically out of a fantasy video game. No wonder fellow players cried foul, and the board eventually asked the winners to return their trophies.

The Mango Tee isn’t just any tournament — it’s one of the most prestigious member-guest events in the country. That’s why the controversy hit harder. What should have been a celebration of sportsmanship turned into a debate about honesty and integrity.

Actor and former politician Edu Manzano didn’t mince words on Facebook: “These are political families, people who live off public trust. If they can’t be honest in a low-stakes game, what happens when real power and real money are involved?”

And that’s the bigger picture. This isn’t just about golf — it’s about how even in leisure, questions of credibility follow public figures. Filipinos watching from the sidelines can’t help but connect the dots: If trust can be bent in a game, what more in governance?

(Image: YouTube / Lray Villafuerte | Facebook)