BpTT golf tees off for Aids

THE bpTT Charity Pro Am Golf Tournament has raised $1 million for the Coalition Against Domestic Violence during the last three years. And this year’s edition, will see the oil company teaming up with the National AIDS Co-ordinating Committee (NACC) in a partnership which was officially launched at the Flamingo Room, Hilton Trinidad yesterday. An effort to not only raise funds but also the awareness the effect this epidemic can have if allowed to continue unchecked,  bpTT Human Resources Manager Charles Percy noted, according to BBC statistics every six seconds someone is infected with HIV.

He further stated that an estimated 1.9 million people have contracted the disease regionally, and  this in itself serves as a point of urgency. “AIDS is the leading cause of death in Caribbean countries,” Percy continued, “with 26,000 people estimated to be living with the disease in Trinidad and Tobago, and to this end bpTT has lent a hand to the efforts of the NACC.” Dr Amery Browne, NACC Technical Director brought an admonition for Trinidad and Tobago to step up its effort in containing the disease. He said,  “our ability to remain calm and poised in the face of calamity, while a source of pride for some, has led to death in many situations.” Browne said AIDS is affecting the national community in increasing measure, and noted the general lax attitude to life and practices such as multiple partnering and unprotected sex as main contributors to the disease having a progressive 21-year run in Trinidad and Tobago.

The NACC director heaped praise on bpTT,“as a shining example within the private sector”, for their extensive work in bettering the social standing of Trinidad and Tobago which includes this latest effort in partnership with the NACC. He urged all involved in the fight against AIDS to keep their focus on the task at hand, and saluted bpTT for their involvement in the effort through their successful Charity Golf Tournament. 40 professional golfers from the United Kingdom and the United States are cexpected to participate in this year’s Pro Am at the St. Andrews Golf Club, Moka, and they will be joined by six local professionals during five days of competition which begins on January 19. The final three days will feature a Texas Scramble format in which three amateurs and a pro will team up. This format follows the best of the four balls played after each shot, the final two days sees the same teams playing on merit of the best two scores with the final tally being minus the group’s handicap to be followed by a prize giving ceremony at the end of the final day.