The quo warranto complaint against sitting President of the Philippine Communities Council of NSW (PCC-NSW) Mr. Alric Bulseco and previous president Serna Ladia did not prosper in the judgement of the present PCC-NSW Board which by the peak body’s constitution is tasked to judge on the issue.
A complaint by former PCC-NSW president Mrs. Kate Andres sought the immediate dismissal of Mr. Bulseco and Mrs. Ladia on the premise that only one person from each affiliate association is allowed to sit on the Board. Mrs. Andres in separate communication said the complaint was signed by 10 PCC-NSW past presidents.
It is understood the complaint centered on the validity of Bulseco’s election as president and Mrs. Ladia’s elevation to her position as immediate past president, the two being from one affiliate association.
Quo warranto is a special form of legal action used to resolve a dispute over whether a specific person has the legal right to hold the public office that he or she occupies. It is an action which infamously questioned and ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno from the Philippine Supreme Court.
In a letter to affiliate associations, Mr Bulseco conveyed the decision of the PCC-NSW Board following a comprehensive deliberations of the Board, with Bulseco himself and Mrs Ladia did not attend.
Bulseco’s letter stated further that the Board voted 10 votes that there was no breach of the constitution, nil vote that there was a breach and two abstentions.
Bulseco said the Chair Mr Cesar Bartolome inhibited himself from the voting procedure.
Mr Bulseco concluded that “It is now my hope that in these turbulent and troubling times, this Board resolution shall finally bring to an end to this divisive uncertainty and that a deserving peace will reign in the community.”
It is understood that Mrs Andres may still pursue the issue further by elevating it to the NSW Department of Fair Trading which is the next recourse for redressing the complaint.