"In war, truth is the first casualty."
--AESCHYLUS
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- Was the 911 call necessary?
When feuding officials of the Philippine Independence Day Parade, Inc. (PIDCI) could not agree on who should be hustled off and who should remain in the polling place, there was no need to call the cops and interrupt the proceedings.
Those involved in the election of PIDCI's new set of officers on October 7 were adults and professionals, not kindergarten pupils, thieves, thugs, pagans or nincompoops.
In the first place, why proceed with the election if there was a fundamental flaw in the system: the unmatched and squalid membership list?
And was the 911 call not an insult on the authority of Philippine Consul-General and PIDCI honorary chair Tess Dizon-De Vega, the highest Philippine official in th event?
AUTHORITY
Dizon-De Vega was in full command and authority over anyone else present; and the police had no business to gatecrash an affair participated by consulate personnel unless their services or help were solicited like what a losing candidate for the board did when he dialed 911 after the Comelec had ordered a membership watchman ejected from the polling venue.
The cops could only interfere if somebody had been mugged or manhandled; if someone had collapsed as a result of an act of violence, ailment, or natural calamity.
We dial 911 if there are near-death crises--flood, fire, hostage-taking incident, vehicular mishap, collapsed building, among other violent scenarios.
Not because one party in an election did not agree with its rivals in assignment of personnel; not because an alleged election fraud was taking place.
DIAL
When we dial 911, so many people are caught flat-footed, piqued in suspended terror, and are inconvenienced.
Drivers and commuters are delayed in a traffic jam; ambulance, patrol car, and a firetruck wheeze off frighteningly in busy intersections like a whirlwind, risking the life and limbs of everyone in the vicinity.
Only to find out when they arrived that a punk had been ousted from the election venue after emotions skyrocketed.
No blood. No injury. No fatality. Only forlorn faces of hot heads and disgruntled lackeys.
That 911 call was uncalled for and unnecessary.
It made the PIDCI election look like an assembly of hooligans or a carnival of thugs.
Showing posts with label #PhilippineIndependenceDayAnnualParadeNewYorkCity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #PhilippineIndependenceDayAnnualParadeNewYorkCity. Show all posts
Thursday, October 12, 2017
NY Pinoy 'leaders' fight like kids in election
"You have to knock doors, make calls, and build a relationship with voters long before Election Day."
--Keith Ellison
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- I have seen these abnormal behaviors of our community leaders in the past not only in New York and California, but also in Canada.
Where can you find an election of supposed Filipino community leaders in a foreign land where police had to be requested to interfere and help defuse a tension?
Only among Filipinos, of course.
So much noise. So much hullabaloo. So much controversy.
"They acted like kids," remarked Arnulfo San Rafael, an election observer who didn't like the way some members of the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) behaved when they elected their new set of officers in a controversy-marred poll October 7.
San Rafael noted that "it seemed nobody was willing to lose; everyone wanted to win at all cost."
The election of Antero "Ner" Martinez as the new president became one of the most controversial and, perhaps, the most raucous in the group's 27 years of existence.
REMOVE
Tension erupted after membership chair Ronie Mataquel was ordered removed from the polling venue on orders of Comelec chair Raul Estrellado.
Mataquel had been handpicked by outgoing president Prospero Lim to check the authenticity of the voters' signatures.
At this juncture, a losing candidate for board member reportedly called 911 but the cops could not install Mataquel back to the polling place.
Martinez beat Olivia David, 49-26. His team also nearly swept the remaining positions.
David's group, however, contested the results and accused her rival of election fraud claiming PIDCI's membership had been rigged to favor certain candidates.
Consul General Tess Dizon-De Vega, PIDCI honorary chair, nevertheless, proclaimed the winners.
She advised David and other losing parties to file their official protest after the proclamation. The con-gen also requested Martinez to resolve and prioritize the issue during his incumbency.
OFFICERS
Elected new members of the board were Sofia Abad, Chris de Guzman, Rely Manacay, Joycelyn Aligarbes, Carmela Paredes, Mateo Reyes and Thomas Ludena. Abad was the lone survivor from David's slate.
The alleged PIDCI missing funds that reportedly reached $300,000 became the central issue during the campaign.
I earlier wrote a story about the issue and outgoing president Lim had vowed to settle the controversy after it became known to many PIDCI members.
The article, which came out before the Independence Day Parade this year, had been shrugged off by PIDCI leadership after Violeta Manarang-McGough had resigned as treasurer "for health reasons."
Lim had confirmed to this writer in an exclusive interview that the auditing of PIDCI funds, which included donations from the Department of Tourism and other business groups, "was not yet finished."
PIDCI organizes the annual Philippine Independence Day Parade on Madison Avenue.
--Keith Ellison
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- I have seen these abnormal behaviors of our community leaders in the past not only in New York and California, but also in Canada.
Where can you find an election of supposed Filipino community leaders in a foreign land where police had to be requested to interfere and help defuse a tension?
Only among Filipinos, of course.
So much noise. So much hullabaloo. So much controversy.
"They acted like kids," remarked Arnulfo San Rafael, an election observer who didn't like the way some members of the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) behaved when they elected their new set of officers in a controversy-marred poll October 7.
San Rafael noted that "it seemed nobody was willing to lose; everyone wanted to win at all cost."
The election of Antero "Ner" Martinez as the new president became one of the most controversial and, perhaps, the most raucous in the group's 27 years of existence.
REMOVE
Tension erupted after membership chair Ronie Mataquel was ordered removed from the polling venue on orders of Comelec chair Raul Estrellado.
Mataquel had been handpicked by outgoing president Prospero Lim to check the authenticity of the voters' signatures.
At this juncture, a losing candidate for board member reportedly called 911 but the cops could not install Mataquel back to the polling place.
Martinez beat Olivia David, 49-26. His team also nearly swept the remaining positions.
David's group, however, contested the results and accused her rival of election fraud claiming PIDCI's membership had been rigged to favor certain candidates.
Consul General Tess Dizon-De Vega, PIDCI honorary chair, nevertheless, proclaimed the winners.
She advised David and other losing parties to file their official protest after the proclamation. The con-gen also requested Martinez to resolve and prioritize the issue during his incumbency.
OFFICERS
Elected new members of the board were Sofia Abad, Chris de Guzman, Rely Manacay, Joycelyn Aligarbes, Carmela Paredes, Mateo Reyes and Thomas Ludena. Abad was the lone survivor from David's slate.
The alleged PIDCI missing funds that reportedly reached $300,000 became the central issue during the campaign.
I earlier wrote a story about the issue and outgoing president Lim had vowed to settle the controversy after it became known to many PIDCI members.
The article, which came out before the Independence Day Parade this year, had been shrugged off by PIDCI leadership after Violeta Manarang-McGough had resigned as treasurer "for health reasons."
Lim had confirmed to this writer in an exclusive interview that the auditing of PIDCI funds, which included donations from the Department of Tourism and other business groups, "was not yet finished."
PIDCI organizes the annual Philippine Independence Day Parade on Madison Avenue.
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