BIZ BUZZ: Showdown in Dasmariñas Village
Elections of officers of homeowners’ associations are normally boring affairs, with the results known even before the first ballots are cast.
But the July 26 elections at posh Dasmarinas Village in Makati City promise to be anything but, with opposing camps in a frenzied race to court enough votes to take control of the board and shape the future of the exclusive community where some of the country’s richest live.
One camp called the A Team—led by economist and popular columnist Solita “Winnie” Monsod—was said to embody “integrity, accountability and a genuine commitment to responsible governance”.
The team that includes Carlos Chung, Rossana Hwang, BJ Padilla, Ernie Pantangco, Zeni Yao and Kyle Krebs has some heavyweight backers, including former BPI president Xavier Loinaz, former Senator Bobby Tanada, Silk Cocoon founder Jean Goulbourn, former ambassador Isabel Caro Wilson and Tesoro’s Handicrafts matriarch Alice Tesoro Guerrero.
They are vocal in their support of the A Team amid what was described as a “deepening scandal” involving the P300-million Dasmarinas Village community center.
Claims of corruption and rigged bidding have supposedly been elevated to the Philippine Competition Commission.
Opposing camps, however, maintain that the bidding and the awarding of contracts are above board.
They said that residents had been regularly informed of the project’s progress, consultations had been done every step of the way and that the community center would ultimately serve the interests of the village’s high society residents.
As to which side will win more believers—and votes—will be ultimately determined in the coming hotly contested elections for the association’s next set of governors that are bringing rare excitement into the normally quiet village for the 1-percenters.
