The rain didn’t stop. For two weeks straight, Habagat had been dumping on the capital, and September 7 promised no mercy—which made sense why our crew almost bailed.
But this wasn’t just any golf tournament. This was the 23rd IGAN Cup, and we were playing for something bigger than weekend bragging rights.
The Setup: IGAN, Arnold Clavio, and a Mission Beyond Golf
The IGAN ng Pilipinas Foundation was established by veteran broadcast journalist Arnold A. Clavio to help destitute, sick, and differently-abled children—a mission born from his years covering stories on GMA News that exposed him to the harsh realities of poor children battling life-threatening illnesses. The Foundation partners with hospitals and organizations nationwide, channeling proceeds from events like the IGAN Cup back into healthcare and support programs for vulnerable kids.
Clavio himself was on-site not just overseeing the tournament, but also competing in it. The same man you see anchoring Unang Hirit on GMA every morning is also a serious golf practitioner—balancing broadcast journalism, foundation work, and a genuine passion for the game.
Why Converge Was Our Sponsor
The Titos of Tech—that’s Raffy of Tech Patrol, Anjie of Teknogadyet, Bam of Adobotech, and Eli of ElifestyleManila—aren’t random tech bloggers. We’re voices in the Philippine digital space, and collectively, we’ve become the kind of crew that gets invited to most golf tournaments that include media personalities. Brands know we show up, we engage, and we bring real perspectives to the conversations around tech and lifestyle in the Philippines.
So when Converge ICT Solutions, Inc.—the fastest-growing broadband service and technology provider in the Philippines, operating the first end-to-end pure fiber internet network in the country—wanted to sponsor a golf outing, inviting the Titos made sense. For a company pushing connectivity across the archipelago, aligning with Filipino tech voices is community engagement wrapped in a good cause.
The credibility speaks for itself. At the latest Ookla® Speedtest Awards, Converge secured three major recognitions: Fastest Fixed Network, Best Fixed Network, and Best Fixed Video Experience, with a Speed Score™ of 61.12—the highest among fixed internet providers in the Philippines. These awards come from millions of real-world consumer tests, not lab conditions. It’s what actual Filipinos experience when they log on.
The Converge PR team didn’t just sign us up—they prepped everything. Scorecards ready. Passports arranged. Zero stress on our end.
The Morning Chaos
The plan was simple: leave Manila by 9 AM, arrive at EastRidge Golf and Country Club in Binangonan Rizal (44km from my place in Makati, roughly the same for Bam in Cavite) with enough buffer for the 12 PM shotgun start. Eli and Anjie were closer, both under 30km out.
Bam got trapped in Skyway traffic. A run that usually takes 30 minutes stretched to over an hour. One Ayala became a parking lot.
We arrived after the second shotgun tee time.
Typical.
The Greeting Committee: Rain and Goodwill
EastRidge greeted us with a wall of water and the Converge team’s calm faces. No lectures about being late. No “where have you been?” The PR crew had already figured we’d hit snags—they know Metro Manila—and they’d preemptively handled everything.
Sheets and shirts were prepped. We grabbed our gear and headed to the fairway.
The rain was coming sideways now. Golf course pros know this weather: warm rain, good grip, ball carries differently in humidity. For budding enthusiasts like us, it meant: “Don’t expect your usual distance, and watch where you step.”
We played through it anyway.
On the Greens
Converge had sent snacks and drinks—the kind of sponsorship moves that matter when you’re standing in the rain questioning life choices. Anjie showed up with nuts and whisky, but we stayed focused. The course demanded it.
Playing golf in Habagat conditions teaches you something: it’s not about the score. It’s about showing up when comfort would’ve said “stay home.” It’s about the crew, the mission behind the event, and knowing your entry fee was going toward kids getting medical care.
The Scoreboard—And Anjie’s Problem
The results came in, and the crew did well. Anjie carded a gross 88, net 72, with five pars—numbers that would normally secure a win. But there was a catch.
“Gross 88, Net 72, with 5 pars! Enough to win, kaso sa women’s division napunta pangalan ko. Hahahaha,” Anjie posted later. “Ayun, olats sa Men’s division. Too good for class B, not enough for class A.”
The tournament’s scoring system had him sandwiched between divisions—stellar enough to take women’s class C (a small administrative hiccup), but not quite matching the firepower in the men’s brackets. Golf’s math is unforgiving that way.
Eli came away with one of the major raffle prizes: a 75-inch 4K TV. Bam secured a minor raffle draw as well. When you’re playing for charity, the prizes are just the cherry on top—but they don’t hurt.
The Bigger Picture
Converge has been declared the Philippines’ broadband leader, delivering the fastest average speeds, lowest latency, and most consistent performance among all providers. It’s easy to see why a company like that sponsors events—it’s good PR. But there’s a difference between sponsoring something and showing up for it, and Converge showed up.
The IGAN Cup, now in its 23rd year, has evolved into one of the country’s major charity golf events. Arnold Clavio didn’t create a vanity project; he created a vehicle. Every tournament raises money for kids who need it, and every sponsor—from Platinum (Philips, EM-CARE) to Gold (NCCP, Champion, Unilab) to every other tier—is essentially saying: “We believe in this.”
We said it too, by driving through rain at dawn.
The Takeaway
Golfing in the rain taught me that sponsorships work both ways. Converge invested in the event and in us. The IGAN Foundation invests in kids. And we—the Titos of Tech—invested our morning, our energy, and our attention in showing the Philippine tech and business community that some things are worth getting wet for.
Plus, the stories are better this way.
The course at EastRidge will dry out. The rain will stop. But the money raised keeps working, and kids in hospitals will feel the ripple effect of people like us, soaked and grinning, on a Monday morning in Binangonan.
That’s the real scorecard.
Players: Raffy (TechPatrol), Bam (AdoboTech), Eli (ElifestyleManila), Anjie (Teknogadyet)
Event: 23rd IGAN Cup, Double Shotgun (6 AM & 12 PM)
Venue: EastRidge Golf and Country Club, Binangonan, Rizal
Date: September 7, 2026
Sponsor: Converge ICT Solutions
Beneficiary: IGAN ng Pilipinas Foundation
