JGL Eye

By Joseph G. Lariosa

C HICAGO, Illinois (JGLi) – Out of chaos, God created Heaven and Earth.

So, out of chaos of the NaFFAA’s national elections in Seattle, Washington, last year, Ed Navarra, Region 3 chair of the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations, appointed Marlon L. Pecson to restore order.

Adopting a discipline of a plane pilot, Mr. Pecson set a deadline for the filing of candidacy akin to a plane pilot asking passengers to place reservation in advance.

So, when Mr. Pecson deadline came around, only one passenger came aboard and Pecson’s plane took off on time like Chicago Transit Authority buses that ply their routes even with or without passenger.

Unfortunately, some passengers, who did not make it on time for the Pecson’s flight, still would want to climb aboard the plane even when the plane was no longer in the tarmac.

This is exactly what happened to the candidacy of NaFFAA Illinois vice chair Jelly Carandang, who missed the deadline in filing her candidacy for NaFFAA Illinois chair.

Miss Carandang still wanted to be a candidate even if she was fully aware that the deadline for filing candidacy was long over. When she insisted to be a candidate even after missing the deadline, it was tantamount to blaming the pilot for pulling away from the tarmac on time, which is ridiculous.

LATE COMERS GET LOW GRADES

In school, when you come late in class, you get low marks. Worse, if you are absent.

Miss Carandang did not want to take the next flight anymore. This is not inspiring of a leader.

Placing a deadline is like placing advanced reservation in a plane or in a restaurant. It is like telling people to fall in line, as in first-come, first-served. When you want to get ahead, you step up the plate ahead of the others, not fall behind and still expect to be first in line.

In the Seattle election, incumbent NaFFAA National vice chair Rozita Lee “submitted her letter of intent (as a candidate),” two days after the deadline. And because “she (also) failed to comply with certain requirements,” Ms. Lee was disqualified.

Ms. Lee wanted to open the floor nomination that in the words of the Seattle Comelec was “an unacceptable precedent.” But during a “mediation,” the 35-year-old Atty. Ian Puruganan, who, like Bart Tubalinal, was able to file his candidacy before the deadline, ceded his position to Ms. Lee by aspiring instead for the open chair for NaFFAA Youth National.

WOULD HAVE NOWHERE TO GO

If Attorney Puruganan were not young enough to become NaFFAA National Youth chair, there would have been a controversy – a chaos – because Mr. Puruganan would have nowhere to go because the maximum age limit for NaFFAA National Youth Chair is 35.

And this is the very scenario that Mr. Pecson was trying to avoid because neither Mr. Tubalinal nor Miss Carandang would qualify for NaFFAA Illinois Youth chair that was not even considered as a way out and neither of them would slide down as NaFFAA Illinois vice chair.

And as an afterthought, Miss Carandang, who did not question the eligibility of Mr. Tubalinal as a nominee after being nominated before the deadline, has placed Mr. Tubalinal on the defensive, by questioning Mr. Tubalinal’s eligibility to become NaFFAA Illinois vice chair. Nitpickers!

Why did Miss Carandang not question Bart’s candidacy after Bart filed his candidacy by the deadline? Why did she delay the agony if she has a beef against Bart?

Now that NaFFAA’s regional chair had upheld Miss Carandang’s election, it will be an open admission that NaFFAA leaders are not ready to accept change – not ready to inject reform, discipline or deadline in filing candidacy among its ranks.

RULES ARE NOT CHANGED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME

It will also send a message that NaFFAA regional chair can change the rules of the umpire or Comelec in the middle of the game even if the umpire or Comelec did not violate any rule.

I believe NaFFAA officers and members can only extend the deadline of filing of candidacy when nobody filed by the deadline. If somebody filed by the deadline, the candidate should be supported by the officers for complying with the rules set by its officers. They should not reward procrastinators!

The NaFFAA can only overrule Mr. Pecson or its officers, if the officers were proven to have abused their discretion.

We only resort to “people power” initiative only as a last resort. That is, when the Comelec or any officer of the non-profit-organization has broken the rules like Presidents Marcos or Estrada because the other branches of the government could no longer check their abuses.

Not to mobocracy! (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net) # # #