Tuesday, December 23, 2008 Refuerzo elected YMCA-Baguio president
THE incoming board of directors of the YMCA-Baguio has elected journalist Eliral Refuerzo as president of the local chapter of the international youth and community service organization.
Refuerzo, publisher-editor of The Baguio Reporter weekly, was one of 12 board members chosen during the recently held annual corporate meeting.
Following their proclamation, the 15-member incoming board then convened to choose their officers.
Refuerzo received the highest number of votes for the top position in the collegial voting, traditionally done immediately after the annual corporate meeting.
There were no nominations, with every senior board member deemed as candidate, in accordance with the YMCA tenet "the position seeks the man, not the man seeking the position."
Also chosen were Dr. Lauro San Jose as first vice president, Engineer Antonio Bautista as second vice president, Rolando de Guzman as treasurer, youth director Mary Anne Cacdac as assistant treasurer, and Jaime Narvaez as auditor.
Composing the board are Victorino Agcaoili, Benjamin Caguioa, Baguio Councilor Richard Cariño, Engineer Rex Ludaes, Crispin Santos, Philian Louise Weygan, and youth directors Maricris Agas and Robert Sison.
Also elected as members of the Performance Review Commission were educator Jose Olarte, Joseph Rulla, Matias Angiwan, Ruben Tinda-an, and Federico Torcuato.
This will be Refuerzo's second term, having served as president in 2007. He will succeed outgoing president Dr. Tedler Depaynos, who will sit as ex-officio member.
Former chapter president, Judge Edilberto Claravall, who recently made history as the first from Baguio to be elected president of the YMCA Federation of the Philippines, will install the Baguio Y officers on January 17.
Claravall himself will be inducted federation president on January 10, with Chief Justice Reynato Puno as guest of honor and speaker in ceremonies at the Indah Hotel in Manila.
Claravall, the incumbent federation vice president, also serves as ex-officio member of the Baguio board as head of its long-range planning committee.
He and Refuerzo vowed to continue and pursue programs outlined in the YMCA's "Challenge 21," which was adopted in 1998 during the 14th World Council in Frechen, Germany.
Foremost in YMCA's mission contained in the Frechen document is "sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and striving for spiritual, intellectual and physical well-being of individuals and wholeness of communities.
It spells out empowerment for young people and women, advocacy for gender rights and upholding children’s rights; fostering dialogues and partnership and recognizing cultural identities of people; committing to work in solidarity with the poor, dispossessed, uprooted people and oppressed racial, religious and ethnic minorities; seeking to be mediators and reconcilers in conflict situations; defending God's creations and establishing and nurturing international and local networks. (RD)
