MANILA, Philippines - Just a few lines on the Peninsula takeover.

I do not know if this was a planned action on the part of Trillanes and company. If it was, it was poorly executed. From the way I saw things on television, it looked more like a spur-of-the-moment move, hoping to generate support from sympathizers and other sectors of society. This did not materialize.

But I can understand the frustrations of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and his fellow Magdalo officers. Their case has dragged on for more than four years with no end in sight. The saying goes that “justice delayed is justice denied.” So much for the rule of law.

Let me try to put things in their proper perspective. What Trillanes did may have been wrong but sometimes it is necessary to create situations that focus attention on continuing cases of grave injustice and a growing culture of impunity.

Trillanes was elected senator by a large number of our people. He was not allowed to take his place in the Senate. In securing victory, he did not engage in dagdag-bawas operations. He did not engage in massive vote-buying, using taxpayer money. He did not communicate with election officials on how he was doing at the polls. He did not have movie stars and assorted entertainers working on his behalf. He was under detention in Fort Bonifacio during the campaign period.

How many of our “elected” officials can claim victory under similar conditions?

One last word. The picture of handcuffed media personnel being “invited” to Bicutan reminded me of American troops rounding up suspected Iraqi insurgents. Those news clips flashed around the world to millions of viewers courtesy of CNN and BBC caused more damage to the image of our country than anything Trillanes did.

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One of the most fascinating sports in the world is the “royal and ancient game” of golf. The name comes from the Dutch word for club—kolf. But it was in Scotland that the game was first played in a manner similar to the modern version and today the rules of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews are generally followed by clubs all over the world.

Some people refer to golf as a thinking man’s game. More than brute strength, speed, height or stamina, what is required for success in the sport is a creative mind, one that will make up for those physical qualities or attributes that are usually in short supply among average, sports-minded individuals. One of the most important traits of a good golfer is mental toughness, a strength that will enable him to maintain a high level of confidence and concentration under difficult circumstances and in the face of all sorts of distractions, from the flash of a camera to the sound of an aircraft flying overhead. Mental toughness also implies the ability to erase or to expunge from the mind a disastrous failure in one hole and moving on to the next without loss of focus and composure.

Golf is a game for people who know how to count accurately and do not resort to cheating in order to win. Surprisingly, there are a lot of politicians playing the sport. But they make “bawas” rather than “dagdag.”

Last week one of the bright lights of Philippine golf passed away after a losing battle with the Big C. For many years, Anthony Fernandez was a permanent fixture in the local golfing scene either as a national team player, an official of some golfing association, the manager of a golf club or a regular member of a number of foursomes all over the country.

Anthony was the eldest son of the late Estanislao Fernandez, a prominent Laguna lawyer who was elected senator in 1957, partly on the strength of his reputation as the “savior of Lydia Dean.”

For those not too familiar with the story, Lydia Dean, a Filipina married to an American, was accused of murdering her husband. Fernandez was a member of her defense team in the United States that secured Dean’s acquittal. Upon his return to the country, he was given a hero’s welcome and hailed in the media as the savior of Lydia Dean. In 1975, Senator Fernandez was appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by President Ferdinand Marcos.

The other members of the Fernandez brood are Victor, a deputy Ombudsman; Carlos, a former transportation undersecretary; Sylvia Lacson; Lina Litton; and Arturo, the last two both deceased.

My association with Anthony was relatively brief. As expected, it was the love of the game that brought us together just a few years back. When I first met him, I was struck by his stylish attire on the golf course. When we were wearing long pants or Bermuda shorts, his were just below the knee in bright patterns—you couldn’t miss him. He had a reputation of having been a “scratch” player. For non-golfers, this meant that he carried no handicap. It also meant that he was one of the best.

At our first meeting, he offered to give me four strokes per nine holes, or eight for the round of 18. Like a fool, I accepted the arrangement and of course got clobbered, losing a small fortune in the process. At our next meeting, I decided to accept the same handicapping but ruled out any bets. I won—or did he let me win? The victory brought back my confidence and so in our next engagement, I went along with the same handicap and agreed to another wager of the same amount as before. Guess what. I got clobbered again. So, at our fourth meeting I said let’s just have a friendly game, same handicap but no bets. With a Mona Lisa smile, he agreed. Of course, I won—or did he make me win?

In our golfing circle—Rene Francisco, Ben Lim, Monray Mapa, Boy Paiso and Romy David—Anthony, with his lean frame, was “Arnold Schwarzenegger,” after the California governor who started on the road to fame as a muscleman in body-building contests. Anthony took the ribbing good-naturedly with a sense of humor that said his would be the last laugh after the game. And very often indeed, he had the last laugh.

One of the things I tried to imitate about Anthony’s game was his golf swing. He had a beautiful swing, smooth and effortless, just as he had an eye for beauty—think Criselda Lontok-Fernandez, a lady of style and fashion.

In his lengthy golfing career Anthony came up with four holes-in-one and a roomful of trophies and awards. For a dedicated golfer, you couldn’t ask for more.

Anthony, I’ll see you at the “nineteenth,” beyond the clouds, where all our drives will be long and accurate, each swing a thing of beauty and every par three, a hole-in-one guaranteed by the Great Golfer above.

More Inquirer columns

Previous columns:
‘Moment of silence’ - 11/05/07
An Indian-American wins in the Deep South - 10/29/07
PMA Foundation Day - 10/22/07
Trillanes, Garcia and Balmaceda - 10/15/07
Remembering our fallen comrades - 10/08/07
Selective courage from resident nerd – 10/01/07