A ‘not-so-secret’ affair in the Chamber
TODAY, Tuesday, is the eve of Christmas. And tomorrow, Wednesday, is Christmas Day. As the pinnacle of the commemoration of the birth of the Redeemer Jesus Christ, the gospels on the days of the Advent are all encouragement for the people to rejoice.
The reason is of course simple. For who would not rejoice and be happy when the day of mankind’s salvation has finally come. Yes, Jesus came into this world to save mankind from the wages of sins. And this season is commemorated as Christmas, the time of the birth of the Lord Jesus.
Already we have received Christmas greetings from our friends, the first one from Earle Ferrer, a fellow former corporate communications guy. Our own former boss at Davao Light and outgoing President of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCCII) Art Milan also greeted us Merry Christmas when we met last Saturday inside a local mall. Of course our fellow workers at Mindanao Times including our publisher lawyer Jess Dureza gave their wishes of a Merry Christmas for our family and us. Thank you all for your greetings and may all of you also enjoy the happiness of the holiday season.
Meanwhile, we are extending our own deeply felt Christmas greetings to our big boss Willy Torres or WT, owner of this publication, and all our readers. We believe that even with simple words of greeting you during this season of joy, you may already feel the happiness of being remembered and thought of in this time of the year.
Of course, we cannot mention all your names as we have no idea who are religiously follow us in this daily treatise. But as we said earlier, we wish all of you the best in this season of the Lord’s coming. We hope that you have everything that you wished for this Christmas.
It is also our hope that you may be able to share whatever blessings you received this season with others especially those who are considered to be within the spectrum of the underprivileged sector.
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Talking of our former boss Art we failed to get confirmation from him about the report we got from sources in the courts that the case filed against him by certain directors of the Chamber for alleged violation of the Corporate Code had been dismissed. There was just too short a time for the o-called “meet and greet” chance.
We are sad though that those who accused Art of wrongdoings are also our friends. But it appears however, that what they did was apparently part of some efforts to hide certain practices of some Chamber officers that may not be in accord with good corporate governance.
We have gotten hold of copies of the charge sheet that was filed. And we also acquired copies of the answer of Mr. Milan. With the reported dismissal of the case it is now clear that the Chamber president has not committed any violation of the Corporate Code. Neither did he misrepresent the corporate group that he carried when he filed his certificate of candidacy as board trustee and later as President.
Mr. Milan presented to the Chamber’s Election Committee headed by Architect Boyet Quinto his appointment as official representative of the Aboitiz Corporate Group to the DCCCII.
Despite all the manifestation of Mr. Milan, the complainant trustees still proceeded to file the case. And they even went as far as seeking an appearance with the top guy of the Aboitiz Power Group to check on the genuineness of the appointment presented by Mr. Milan.
All these distractions however, appeared to have not deterred the incumbent Chamber president from doing his job.
Thus, several bank accounts that were dormant for some time were eventually closed. And according to our sources, for the first time in the Chamber’s history the mandated General Membership assembly a month prior to the end of a president’s term was held complete with written narratives of accomplishment report, as well as audited financial report as of the end of the month preceding the holding of the general assembly.
A representative of a well-known member company
told us that the Chamber now is operated as a corporation instead of just a simple organization of companies operating in the city.
The DCCCII is perhaps the most prestigious organization in the city. Hence we believe that its operation should not be hampered by corporate politics and the desire of some of its members to get certain concessions that will enhance the interest of their business.
The dismissal of the case against its incumbent head should serve as a lesson for the members who think they have the monopoly of leadership skills.
That way Davaoenos can be assured of a much better performing Chamber of Commerce in the future.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR DEAR READERS!