Donny Pangilinan aids cause for children education through golf tournament

LAGUNA, Philippines – Donny Pangilinan hit two birds with one stone as he celebrated his 28th birthday: to play golf with friends and family and support a cause that is close to his heart.

The actor-model on Thursday, February 12, led the successful staging of the Donato Cup, an invitational golf tournament at the Canlubang Golf and Country Club here, which raised P500,000 for nonprofit organization MovEd Philippines.

MovEd Philippines provides early childhood care and development programs in underserved communities. It operates 16 learning labs in Metro Manila and Bicol for children ages 3 to 7.

“This is one of the advocacies that are close to my heart,” Pangilinan said in a mix of Filipino and English. “What some people forget is the time when the brain is developing is really the early stages.”

“If you focus there, you start the kids with great education already, and they’re exposed to great teachers, a great environment, great food — that’s momentum for the rest of his or her life. You really see the difference that good education, a good ecosystem, and a good environment give a child.”

Pangilinan said he had initially wanted an intimate tournament of 30 to 50 players, but interest from his other friends and golf enthusiasts resulted in a field featuring 160 participants. 

It was a family affair for Pangilinan, with his father, Anthony, and his siblings, Hannah and Solana, taking part. 

“After I started playing, it was really a dream of mine to come up with a tournament or a cup in which my friends and family can be a part of,” said Pangilinan, who pursued golf only during the pandemic. 

Love-hate relationship 

Pangilinan called golf a “humbling” sport that has taught him life lessons.

“The moment you start playing golf, there are so many things you have to learn. So, you’re never going to be the best at it, which is why I love it, because there’s always something to pick up from it,” Pangilinan said. 

“It’s like life — you’ll never stop learning, you’ll never stop growing. Every single hit is different from the others. Every single shot from a different hole is like a different experience. When you hit a bad shot, you want to quit. When you hit a good shot, you want to keep going.”

“So, it’s just all about focusing on the next shot. And I think that’s what it teaches me. Every time you hit, there’s always going to be a better shot. If there’s a worse shot, there’s always a chance for you to get back from that.”

Pangilinan and partner Timothy Young topped Division 3 of the tournament that followed a two-man scramble format and a molave points system, which rewards a higher score for fewer shots, as they tallied 46 points.

His sister Hannah and Marianna Reyes ruled Division 1 with 61 points, while Luis Castro and Juan Jaime Rivera claimed the overall championship with 67 points. 

“A lot of times, you feel like you don’t want to play golf anymore when you have a hard time hitting the ball. But then there are days when you’re hitting the ball well, so you want to play golf for the rest of your life. You’ll never know, so you really have to respect the game,” Pangilinan said. – Rappler.com