As Wycoco steps down, Puertollano files candidacy for PIDCI president

Tambi Wycoco; Gani Puertollano

Media and public relations practitioner Amado ‘Tambi’ Wycoco announced this week he has decided to abandon his bid to run for president of the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc.

In a statement, he announced he is seeking, instead, one of the seven seats in the Board of Directors of PIDCI.

“Realization and reality set in,” he said to explain why he decided to step down from the race.

Over the last months when he started telling people he wanted to run for president of PIDCI, he said he was repeatedly told he could not win against one of the candidates for president. He did not name the candidate, but speculation is he was referring to Antero ‘Ner’ Martinez, who is strongly rumored to be the handpicked candidate of former PIDCI president Fe Martinez.

Fe Martinez (No relation to Antero) is the three-term president of PIDCI. She remains powerful and influential within the organization even as she holds no official title.

“One has to understand the politics of PIDCI to come up with the logical reason,” Wycoco said in a statement.

In short, Wycoco said he has changed course. He is now seeking a seat on the board. He believes he can still introduce changes to the operations of PIDCI as a member of the board. He now joins his board candidates that include Robert Aguirre, Rachell Bañez, Eduardo Cabello, Albert Diala, Art Diongon, and Laura Garcia. Their ticket is making PIDCI history because this appears to be the first time that there is a slate of candidates but no standard bearer.

Wycoco is an old hand at PIDCI, having served on its board for five years. He has long been an active volunteer in the annual staging of the Philippine Independence Day parade celebrations from the time of the original Philippine Independence Day Committee (PIDC), the ad hoc organization that began in the 1990s. In 2002, PIDC became an incorporated body and came to be known as PIDCI.

As this developed, The FilAm learned that Isagani ‘Gani’ Puertollano has filed his candidacy for president of PIDCI, making him the third aspirant for the position after retired public school teacher Olivia David and Ner Martinez. Oddly, he is running without a board slate.

“I’m running lone ranger,” Puertollano told The FilAm.

A native of Iloilo province, Puertollano is active with the New Jersey-based Philippine American Friendship Committee. Before joining PAFCOM, he served as two-term president of PIDCI from 2006. Asked what he plans to do with PIDCI’s missing money, which is emerging as the biggest election issue this year, Puertollano said he is waiting for the Comelec to confirm his candidacy before making any statement.

Wycoco said he can see himself throwing his support behind Puertollano. – Cristina DC Pastor

© 2017 The FilAm