LAWYER Elias Espinoza and entrepreneur Marlinda Angbetic-Tan got their fresh mandates to serve as chairman and vice chairperson respectively of the board of directors (BOD) of the Cebu News Workers Multipurpose Cooperative (Newscoop).

Their election happened after Newscoop held its general assembly at the Marcelo B. Fernan Cebu Press Center in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City last April 13.

The event carried the theme “Newscoop: Taking up the Digital Challenge.”

During the assembly, Newscoop members voted for four of the eight candidates who were seeking a seat in the BOD.

Those who won the poll replaced the slots vacated by the four outgoing directors, whose terms expired after they had served for two years.

All the four outgoing directors filed their candidacies as re-electionists. They were retired journalist Oscar Pineda, journalist-academician Joseph Elvir Tubilan, photojournalist Antonio Despojo and retired sports editor Gabriel Malagar.

The other candidates were lawyer Clarence Paul Oaminal, Art Barrit, Juvey Veloso and Julito Geolagon.

After the votes were cast and the counting was over, Pineda, Tubilan, Despojo and Oaminal were declared winners. They completed the 11-member BOD who will represent the nearly 2,000 members of the 23-year-old Newscoop.

Last April 23, the directors gathered for the elections of chairperson and vice chairperson. Espinoza and Tan were unanimously elected for the respective posts.

Appointments of various committee members, such as for the education, gender and development, conciliation and mediation, youth, ethics and other committees were also conducted.

Later in the evening, the BOD and committee members took their oaths of office with Fr. Carmelo O. Diola of the Dilaab Foundation Inc. as the administering officer. The ceremony sealed the directors and members of the committees to their duties for the development of the cooperative and promotion of the welfare of their fellow cooperators.

The BOD is composed of Espinoza, Tan, Pineda, Despojo, Tubilan, Oaminal, and incumbent members Frederick Languido, Elias Baquero, Divine Sanchez-Ngujo, Jovy Taghoy-Gerodias and Gregg Rubio.