MANILA, FEBRUARY 8, 2013 – Ricky Alegre has relinquished the chairmanship of the AdBoard barely a month after taking the role following a deadlocked election against 4As challenger Alex Syfu, but the exit came too late to stop the 4As from taking a leave of absence from the umbrella organization.
In addition to Alegre, three other AdBoard officers will also step down: Vice chairman-elect Nonoy Niles Jr (MORES), treasurer-elect Tessie Celestino-Howard (IBA) and corporate secretary-elect Faith Abano (CAAP). PR officer-elect Madonna Tarrayo was not at the AdBoard’s first executive committee meeting of the year on February 6, but the message was relayed to her, according to Alegre. The AdBoard is still awaiting her feedback.
Special elections are scheduled on February 19, but it is unclear if the 4As will field a candidate, having followed in the footsteps of the Philippine Association of National ¬ Advertisers, which took an indefinite leave of absence late last year. The 4As has maintained that it did not lose the January 15 election, which saw the candidates take eight votes each.
On Alegre’s stepping down, 4As chairman Matec Villanueva told adobo that she would have to discuss the move’s ramifications with the 4As board.
“The stepping down alone will not answer our question on change and transformation. (The 4As leave of absence) was the result of a process where all the members were informed. Now we have to go through the process again.”
Alegre, the chairman of the United Print Media Group, was keen to convey a message for unity with his decision to step down. “I’ve done my one-year term [in the AdBoard]. And I don’t hold on to positions. I hope they see this as a step toward unity,” he told adobo.
Alegre’s critics maintain that Alegre – having failed as AdBoard’s incumbent chair to secure the popular vote in the election – should have given way to Syfu. It has been alleged that the candidates had a gentleman’s agreement where Alegre would support Syfu.
Alegre, however, challenged this version of events, saying: “I never said I would support him.” Alegre maintained that the proposal was only limited to a “power share or term share”, with Syfu leading AdBoard for the first half of the 2013 term.
But he said this option expired the moment both parties submitted to an election, a process that, he said, everyone “must submit to”, which resulted in one of the most fractious elections in AdBoard history.
Options rejected
Alegre indicated that three options were tabled to resolve the deadlock: Hold another round of elections; draw lots; and toss a coin, but Syfu and Villanueva rejected all three.
Syfu also declined the vice-chairmanship offered after the election, the first hint that Alegre’s decision to reclaim the chairmanship after the former backed away was not popular with the 4As leadership. The 4As has been disgruntled that its call to establish a group to monitor and alert the industry to rule changes or new regulations and lobby on behalf of the industry has fallen on deaf ears at the AdBoard.
What next?
Alegre also assured the industry that there was no chance of the Government stepping in to take control of the association responsible for ensuring industry self regulation with the officers stepping down. They will serve as “caretakers to show that we’re still here and that there is no need for them to step in” until the special election is held.
The 4As is the third association to leave AdBoard after the Kapisanan ng mag Brodkaster ng Philipinas (KBP) in 2005 and PANA last year-end.
Despite the pull-outs, Alegre maintained: “I believe that AdBoard still has a major role to play. But it’s [high time] for everyone to introspect and review priorities. [All these changes] only show how dynamic this industry is.”
Photo from www.asianmarketingconference.com
