The basic question is: What election rule was violated by the National Committee for Language and Translation (NCLT)?

The answer is very clear: NONE. NCLT, supervised by Project Development Division(PMD)-Comelec followed all the steps in the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) issued rules on the conduct of national committee elections.

So why did Usec.Vilma Labrador stopped the Subcommission for Cultural Dissemination (SCD) the night before its scheduled 14 December 2007 elections?

Because of Commissioner Ricardo Nolasco’s continuous complaints about some “irregularities” that  allegedly happened before the 10 December NCLT elections. Nolasco at first claimed that NCLT failed to inform its supposed constituents and thus many individuals and groups were disenfranchised of their right to participate in the NCLT assembly. NCLT’s simple answer was that the information campaign was properly done by NCCA for all the national committees. Furthermore, this task is not within the duties of any national committee. Minutes after the NCLT elections, Nolasco wrote again against the NCLT’s “illegal and fake elections.” He forgot that he himself sent a representative in the said assembly—Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) Commissioner Jose Lad Santos—and that his representative presented the questions he raised in his first letter, was satisfied with the answers by NCLT members present, and participated in the elections.

So again, why did Usec. Labrador stopped the SCD the night before its scheduled elections?

Because Nolasco wrote her again on 13 December, reiterating the complaints in his first letter but this time adding that some individuals and organizations in the NCLT have “interlocking” affinities.

Again, the first basic question is: Is there an NCCA rule against “interlocking” affinities?

Again, the answer is very clear: NONE. In fact, Usec.Labrador was forced by Nolasco to violate the NCCA rules when she stopped the SCD elections. The more proper procedure was for her to allow the scheduled SCD elections and to later consult the Board of Commissioners on the matter.

Now, what is this case of “interlocking” affinities raised by Nolasco?

Nolasco researched on the profiles of the NCLT members and found the following: (1) some individual members belong to the same organizations as the same individuals are members or officers of some of the institutional/organizational members of the NCLT, (2) majority of them are Tagalogs and from the University of the Philippines.

What is wrong with that? The more important thing is that they volunteered to serve the NCCA, followed the application requirements and procedures, and are qualified. A research will show that this interconnectedness is also found in other NCCA national committees and that many volunteers in the NCCA then and now are Tagalogs and from UP. It is true that NCCA in its IRR “encourage(s)” multiregional and multiethnic representations in the national committees. However, in reality, it is impossible. NCCA can only open the membership in the committees to anybody interested and qualified but there are real constraints for anybody interested and qualified from the regions to apply for membership. It must also be noted that some organizations in the NCLT are national in membership and thus even their Tagalog and UP officers supposedly have the mandate of their members from the regions.

Interested and qualified? Nolasco has an additional point on this. In the 27 December 2007 petition, Nolasco through his lawyer alleged that because of “interlocking” affinities, NCLT bended its rules for membership to favor some and disqualify others. For example, it accepted as member WIKA represented by National Artist Virgilio S. Almario even if it is SEC registered only last year. It accepted Jun Balde, a Bikolano, as individual member even if he does not have an MA. On the other hand, it rejected the application of an old organization like SOLFED and some Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino employees who applied for individual membership.

Nangungulit na si Nolasco. Short of saying that the Tagalogs from UP have been involved in a secret design to dominate the NCLT, he clearly impugned ill motives on them. At gusto talagang makialam. He would like to interpret the qualifications for NCLT membership his way to disqualify some of its present members. He forgot the fact that the rules for membership are formulated by the NCLT and thus the application and interpretation of these rules are a prerogative of the NCLT. On SOLFED, contrary to his insinuation about favoring some and disqualifying others, it is disqualified because it did not submit the necessary documents required by NCCA. On the KWF employees, NCLT opined that it does not need additional KWF individual members because KWF has already a seat in the NCLT executive council and also that, sadly, not one of the Nolasco recomendees can compare with Galileo Zafra, Jovy Peregrino, or Joey Baquiran of UP as language teacher, researcher, or translator.

And here’s the final question: What is the right of Nolasco to interfere in the NCLT elections? In what capacity is he privileged to do it? According to election rules, any valid election protest can be raised only by any person/entity who participate in the elections. Nolasco is clearly abusing his power as a member of the NCCA Board of Commisioners and a government official in obstructing the legal conduct of elections in NCLT. In so doing, he is also maligning the reputation of the past and present NCLT officers in its executive council.

Moreover, there are evidences that Nolasco campaigned to control NCLT by asking individuals and groups to apply as members and endorsing their application. When he failed on this, there are reports that he campaigned to get letters requesting to postpone the NCLT elections while asking some members to boycott the NCLT assembly. Finally, he has been actively propagating his allegations about “interlocking” affinities nationwide to cast aspersions on the NCLT and get the sympathy of some parties, especially those who are against Filipino as a national language.

This way and in so short a time, Nolasco has done much harm to NCCA. Usec. Labrador and the members of the Board of Commissioners must stop being a tool of Nolasco in harassing and maligning the NCLT. NCCA must recognize and support the rights of the present NCLT members as legitimate cultural volunteers and let the conduct of elections in the SCD. Nolasco must be made to account, instead, for a real national program to achieve the missions of KWF and concentrate on his job as its acting chair.