Manila Polo Club

Manila Polo Club
Polo club / Private club
Founded August 18, 1909 (1909-08-18) in Pasay, Rizal, Philippine Islands
Founder William Cameron Forbes
Headquarters McKinley Road, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
Services Leisure amenities for members, Polo match organization, Events venue
Website www.manilapolo.com.ph

The Manila Polo Club, Inc. (MPC) is a polo and private club based in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines.

It was established in 1909 during the American colonial era by Governor General William Cameron Forbes as a venue for polo and leisure for the wealthy elite. It was originally located in an area which is now part of Pasay prior to World War II after which it was transferred to its present location in Makati.

History

William Cameron Forbes, the founder of the Manila Polo Club.

Early years: American period

The Manila Polo Club was incorporated on August 18, 1909[1] by American William Cameron Forbes, who would started serving as Governor-General of the Philippines within the same year and a polo enthusiast who owns two polo field in his estate in Boston. He intended to the club to be a place of leisure for himself and other "gentlemen of a certain class" assigned to the Philippines and founded the place as a venue to play polo.[2] Forbes is credited for establishing the first polo field in the Philippines.[3] The clubhouse was inaugurated on November 27, 1909.[1]

The original location where the Manila Polo Club stood was along Calle Real (present-day M.H. Del Pilar in Pasay) and Forbes bought the land where the club was using his own personal funds. Initially the club's membership consists of primarily Americans and had some other foreigners as its members. Membership of Filipinos were limited with Forbes intending the club to have not more than 20 percent of its members be "natives".[2][4]

The Manila Polo Club's reputation grew internationally due to Forbes' involvement in writing articles on polo and contributing to polo magazines published outside the Philippines. In 1922, then Prince of Wales Edward VIII played polo with an American team at the Manila Polo Club.[2]

In the 1930s, the club voted against the membership application of Manuel Nieto, a colonel who served as an aide to then-Philippine President Manuel Quezon which caused the Elizalde brothers to end their membership with the club[2] to found the Los Tamaraos Polo Club in 1937.[3]

World War II and relocation

The original clubhouse was left destroyed following the end of [[World War II] after it was burned down during the Battle of Manila of 1945. After the war the Manila Polo Club was temporarily hosted in a 1.8 hectares (4.4 acres) property along Dewey Boulevard before it moved to McKinley Road in Forbes Park by around the 1960s, when more Filipinos and non-American foreigners had become members of the club. The club elected Enrique Zobel in 1964 as its president marking the first time the organization is led by a Filipino.[2]

Reforms

The Manila Polo Club became a proprietary share club in 1979 and under the new set-up the club's membership was required to consist of 60 percent Filipino and 40 percent foreign. In 1983, the club allowed the transfer of shares to widows of its male members allowing women to become full members. Maria Paz Rufino Laurel-Tanjangco was the first female member of the club. In 1987, gender-related restrictions on membership was dropped. Maribel Ongpin became the club's first female board member in 1995 and Isabel Caro Wilson became the club's first female president.[2]

Membership

Membership with the Manila Polo Club is reserved to very rich individuals due to the high cost of shares of stock in the club.[5] However ownership of shares does not necessarily equate to membership. To become a member, an aspirant must secure a least two referrals from current members and endorsement from five other members. The name of the aspirant is posted on the club's bulletin board for 30 days and any member can write any feedback regarding the aspirant to the membership committee. By the end of the period the membership committee could schedule an interview with the aspirant and after which the members of the committee anonymously vote by casting a black or white ball, the former of which signifies rejection, to approve or deny an aspirant's application. If rejected an aspirant could apply for membership again after six months.[2]

Prior 1983, membership was restricted to males although wives of members were allowed to use the club's facilities. The club's facilities are also available for rental to non-members provided that there is sponsorship from a member.[2]

As per the organization's bylaws the incumbent President of the Philippines and the incumbent Mayor of Makati are granted honorary membership and don't have to pay for shares in stock of the club and can use facilities of the club but they have to pay like the regular members.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Manila Polo Club". G&W Clubshares, Inc. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "A Polo Club membership: Less alluring but still highly desired". Rouge (The Anniversary Issue). July 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Polo history in the Philippines". Manila Times. 5 July 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  4. ↑ About the Club www.manilapolo.com.ph/about
  5. 1 2 Avendaño, Christine; Burgonio, TJ (7 October 2014). "Is Binay a member of Manila Polo Club? Yes and no". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
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