A mixture of new and experienced personalities in community peak body activities in NSW were elected during the AGM and annual election of officers of the Philippine Communities Council of NSW (PCC-NSW) held at the Mt Druitt Community Hub in Mt Druitt last 15 March, and face the challenge of “lifting the game” and ‘reforming the peak body ” in the task of marshalling the roles of some 52 community organisations affiliated to the umbrella organisation.
Newly elected PCC-NSW president Mr Jun Relunia who captured the top plurality in votes, and election runner up Mr Danny Peralta, actively campaigned for the top post, promising new direction and revived leadership. The third candidate in the three cornered contest was Elsa Collado who tried to run for the third time as PCC-NSW president. Collado served as president in 2011 and in 2013.
Newly elected president Mr Jun Relunia was the nominated representative of the long-running seniors association Philippine Australian Society of Senior Citizens, Inc. or PASSCI and Filipino Cooperative, Inc whist Mr Danny Peralta is president and founder of the Tagalog Association of Australia which was established only last year.
During the AGM session that preceded the election, about six items in PCC-NSW “protocols” including issue on cheque disbursement procedure, compliance with guidelines on fund raising prescribed by the NSW Office of Games, Liquor and Racing (OGLR), and pre-AGM information dissemination, had become automatic assignments tabled for the incoming PCC-NSW officials
PCC-NSW officials and directors of the board are elected annually from nominated representatives of Philippine community organisations.
Mr Peralta was renominated later as Treasurer and won. Mr Alric Bulseco of Ateneo Alumni Association of Australia was re-elected as vice-president external whilst former internal auditor Evelyn Beed of Philippine Cordillerans was elected vice president internal. PCC-NSW treasurer for 2013 Mrs Millie Banan of Ilocano Association of Australia was elected internal auditor whilst 2013 PCC-NSW secretary Mr Darrel Swadling (Australian Philippines Association of Illawarra, Inc.) was retained to the same position. The new PRO is Danny Rosales of Philippine Cultural and Language Association of Australia or PCLAA.
Elected members of the board of directors are as follows: Emily Rudd (Ugnay Kabayan of Central Coast), Mercy Jones (Filipino Women’s Support -MacArthur) Robert Lastica – Australian Devotees of Our Lady of Penafrancia), Rissa MacInnes (Filipino Friends of Labor), Nenita Weekes (Filipinos and Friends Association of Bathurst and Central West), Jade Cadelina (Order of the Knights of Rizal) and Alex del Prado (Pangasinan Association).
PCC-NSW had an amazing run of more than two decades as undisputed umbrella organisation for all Philippine community organisations in NSW until about five years ago with the departure of a slinter group which formed the Alliance of Philippine Community Organisation or APCO. APCO is most active in cooperative activities along with other multicultural or ethnic organisations.
Additionally a new movement for electoral and civic awareness in the form of the Filipino Australian Movement for Empowerment or FAME had surfaced a few years ago and proactively assumed some of the rallying points of community leadership, with members coming also from the spectrum of Philippine community associations.
Sydney’s Australian Philippines Services League or APSL while military celebratory oriented is another body which has membership from different associations.
An illustration of the diminishing influence of PCC-NSW is the annual celebration in Sydney of the Philippine Independence Day which it used to host mainly by itself in cooperation with the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney.
Nowadays, the Consulate has to assume the role of good office so that there will be a more streamlined and less duplicated schedule of events commemorating the important Philippine national event, as proposed by PCC-NSW, APCO, APSL and other emerging big community organisations.