ADA Milby, one of the country’s more prominent female sports leaders, was unanimously elected as president of the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) during its Annual General Meeting last Dec.15
Milby will take the place of PRFU president Rick Santos, who has already served the maximum term of eight continuous years in that role.
Santos, who has been at the helm of what has become one of the most successful national sports associations in the country since 2013, will stay as board member.
Milby lauded Santos for his contributions to the growth of the sport.
“Rick has led the PRFU through a journey of transformation to professionalize the sport and build successful national programs. It’s this level of professionalism that has ensured the stability of the union during this very challenging year of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Milby.
“I’m thankful that Rick will continue to serve in the capacity of secretary-general as it will truly take a team to get through these difficult times and his wisdom will continue to be an essential asset to Philippine rugby. Rick is also now a member of the Development Committee of Asia Rugby and I look forward to working with him as we continue to build our local programs.”
“Our first priority will be to restart activities when restrictions lift with player welfare and community safety as the primary focus. We have a very robust “return to play” protocol prepared in line with global best practices and IATF guidelines.:
Steve Payne will continue in the role of Trustee for Sponsorship, with Tim Kong Trustee for Performance, and Max Stewart as Trustee for Competitions. William Bailey was re-elected as Vice President and Treasurer, and Jaime Urquijo advising on Development, Sponsorship, and Business Administration.
The meeting, which was convened using Zoom technology, was chaired by Jake Letts, PRFU Chief Executive Officer, and attended by representatives of 15 senior clubs and schools and seven incumbent board trustees.
Also present during the meeting were Valeriano “Bones” Floro, who represented the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Commissioner Charles Maxey of the Philippine Sports Commission and Ghaith Jalajel of Asia Rugby.
