The peak organisation Philippine Communities Council of New South Wales will hold its annual election on 15 March 2014 at still to be announced venue with three candidates vying for presidency led by re-electionist Mrs Elsa Collado.
The other candidates are businessman and member of the PCC board Mr Danny Peralta and experienced leader of various community organisations Mr Jun Relunia.
Mrs. Collado was PCC-NSW President in 2011 and was elected again last year after a year off. If elected, she will create a record of being president for three terms. Only Mrs Kate Andres who was elected before for two consecutive one year terms had served for more than ne year. The organisation’s constitution does not prevent its president from being elected again after serving for a one year term.
Last year, a move to amend the constitution to extend the president’s term of office to two years did not materialise, paradoxically because the annual election schedule had caught up with it.
Mr Jose “Jun” Relunia is president of the Philippine Australian Society of Senior Citizens Inc.(PASSCI) the oldest and the biggest senior citizens association in Sydney and he previously served as president of the Australian Devotees of Our Lady of Penafrancia and the Fil-Oz Society of Penrith area.
Mr Relunia was the last sitting chairman of the Senior Citizens committee of the defunct Filipino Ministerial Consultative Council or FMCC which help give advice to the previous Labor government about the Philippine communities Australia wide. He is presently coordinating an ad hoc committee negotiating for favourable terms for senior citizens through possible Australia-Philippines bilateral treaty.
For his part, Mr Danny Peralta is the president of the newly organised Tagalog Association of Australia or TAA. Mr Peralta is a long time Sydney businessman and active community leader.
PCC NSW has affiliates of about 40 community organisations which it represents in a number of dialogs and consultations with local state functions and meetings in NSW and similar gatherings with federal bodies an officials.
PCC-NSW coordinates inter community organisation meetings and activities including the high profile annual Philippine Independence Day gala night in June which assembles the Philippine community’s luminaries, up ad coming community leaders, federal and local NSW politicians, and stakeholders of businesses an projects that involves the community.