The 2021 Annual General Meeting for the nation’s rugby association saw two new members elected into the Board of Trustees.
Rose Mae Lanticse of Davao and Ric Bellen of Albay step into their first term. Maxwell Stewart has been reelected and is on his 4th year serving as PRFU’s Board of Trustee.
After almost ten years of managing Philippine Rugby’s finances, William “Bill” Bailey has stepped down as Treasurer for the union. The experienced Charted Accountant joined the Board in 2012 and has played one of the most important roles the National Sports Association requires.
“Bill has been tremendous, as a volunteer, to oversee all financial policies and processes for Philippine Rugby. It’s no easy task and our association is lucky we had his expertise for close to a decade. Bill implemented a financial policy that has benefited the union for not only the past but years to come” shared Jake Letts, CEO of Philippine Rugby.
Bailey first served as the International Cricket Council (ICC) representative for the Philippines before transitioning across to help the Manila 10s International Rugby Tournament and later found himself joining the PRFU Board after a string of successful Manila 10s Festivals.
Another long-standing member Jaime Urquijo has also officially stepped down after serving six years, the former national team member of the Volcanoes has also played an instrumental role focusing on business strategy, national teams, sponsorship, and development.
“Jaime’s business acumen has been amazing, although he steps down officially we know he’s not too far away, we will continue to look to his counsel as a close member of our rugby community. He’s passionate about the game, he knows a number of people in the community want to assist the Union and he aims to be present in this development also” Letts added.
“It has been a pleasure to serve on the PRFU board over the last six years. Under the leadership of Jake Letts, the union has done an outstanding job in building a strong development program and has successfully cemented the Philippines’ place amongst the top unions in Asia rugby in both the woman’s and men’s categories. I thoroughly enjoyed working closely with my fellow board members and I look forward to seeing how the union will continue to build out the presence and impact of the sport in the country” Urquijo added.
Philippine Rugby will move ahead and set a new pathway, now having two female representatives at the Board level along with a wider representation of members across Philippine Rugby clubs, a first for the Union.
The national sports association looks forward to the new year, where local competitions are expected to resume after close to two years away from the field.