ISM ‘sustaining members’ call for interim board election

The International School Manila (ISM)’s sustaining members called yesterday for an election of an interim board that would serve only until the next elections in May.

In a statement, the ISM Sustaining Members said one of the classes of membership in the ISM Corp., as provided in ISM by-laws, is the "sustaining members."

"Sustaining Members consist of such organizations and individuals who have made substantial contributions to the school and who have been elected to sustaining membership. There are currently 28 sustaining members, according to ISM records, who are long-term contributors to sustaining ISM," they said.

In response to the current crisis at the private school following the firing of school superintendent David Toze by the board of trustees, the sustaining members met last Wednesday to discuss the concerns of teachers, students, parents, administrators and staff of ISM.

"We concluded that a way forward needs to be defined to help resolve the current crisis quickly," they said.

In the spirit of contributing to a resolution and reestablishing a stable learning and teaching environment for the children and educators, they offered the ISM community the following way forward to be implemented upon the removal of the remaining members of the board of trustees — by resignation or by a vote of two-thirds majority of members of the corporation.

"We propose the election of an interim board by the general membership to serve only until the next elections in May. The interim board would be responsible for consulting widely within the ISM community to contribute to a healing process, conducting business as is necessary to the functioning of the school, organizing elections for the next board, and considering amendments to the by-laws for approval of the general membership, to help avoid a recurrence of the current crisis," the group said.

They said no member of the interim board would be a candidate in the next board elections. None of the trustees of the board serving after elections last May, nor candidates in those elections, would serve on the interim board, they also said.

The group believes that such an interim board would best serve unity and stability at ISM.

The sustaining members also proposed the following candidates for the interim board: Randy Johnson, country chairman, Chevron Philippines Inc. (Sustaining Member); Sanjiv Vohra, Citigroup Country officer, Philippines (Sustaining Member); Byoung Hyun, Suh, director, United Korean Community Association, president, Three Seven Food & Products Inc.; Ernest Cu, president and CEO, SPI Technologies Inc.; Ambassador Annika Markovic, Embassy of Sweden; Aurelio Montinola III, president, Bank of the Philippine Islands (Sustaining Member); Fredrick Santos, president, American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (Sustaining Member), chairman, CB Richard Ellis, Philippines managing director, CB Richard Ellis, Hong Kong; Margarita Delgado; president, Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation, vice-president, Delbros, Inc.; Paul Jones, deputy chief of mission, Embassy of the United States of America (Sustaining Member); and Juan Miranda, director general, Central and West Asia Regional Development, Asian Development Bank.

"If this proposal meets with general favor among the ISM community, we suggest they be elected as a slate as soon as practicable. Each of these candidates has expressed his or her willingness to serve together in this interim capacity, in full acceptance of these stated goals and conditions, for the good of the school," they said.

The group also noted that they admire and support the many parents, administrators, faculty, staff and students of the ISM community who are giving their time, energy and creativity to overcoming the current crisis.

They expressed hope that this proposal contributes to a quick resolution for the benefit of everyone at ISM.

The proposal was signed by Alfredo Velayo, President, William J. Shaw Foundation; Ambassador Juan Jose Rocha, president and CEO, C.F. Sharp Group of Companies; Noel Lorenzana, managing director, Unilever Philippines; Manuel Tordesillas, president, ATR Kim Eng Financial Corporation; John Forbes, director and treasurer, American Chamber of Commerce; Cesar Melo, president and general manager, Colgate-Palmolive Philippines; Paul Jones, chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of the United States of America; Sanjiv Vohra Citigroup Country officer, Philippines; Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II, Chairman, Bank of the Philippine Islands; Kitty Li, Country HR director, Procter and Gamble Philippines; Randy Johnson; Country chairman, Chevron Philippines Inc.; and Aurelio R. Montinola III; president and CEO, Bank of the Philippine Islands.

On the status of Toze, the group said the simple fact is that his summary termination did not follow the legal process applicable in the Philippines.

Therefore, the previous board will have to be liable for that decision and the way it was implemented, they said.

The ISM stakeholders have chosen to communicate on this issue in a transparent and official way and any other declarations do not reflect the views of this group, they said.

"The decision is not applicable under Philippine law and the new board will have to look into it before a final decision can be taken. Due process will be followed to preserve the school’s integrity," the group said.

Wilfred Steven Uytengsu, CEO of Alaska Milk Corp., a member of the board of governors of the University of Southern California and one of the many concerned parents, said "following due process is vital if ISM is to preserve its reputation as a professionally-run organization in the international arena." — Sandy Araneta