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Public figure, personal matters
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NEW YORK --- Two weeks ago, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik withdrew his name from consideration as Secretary of Homeland Security Department following questions about potential ethical conflicts of interest.
In his letter to President Bush, Kerik said: "I am convinced that, for personal reasons, moving forward would not be in the best interests of your administration, the Department of Homeland Security, or the American people."
Here was Kerik, a public figure, stating in his letter: "I cannot permit matters personal to me to distract from the focus and progress of Department of Homeland Security and its crucial endeavors."
Public figure. Personal matters. That's the bottom line.
This leads me to the case of Alice Francisco, newly elected president of the Philippine American Community of Bergen County, Inc. (PACBC). Immediately after the suspension of her license to practice her profession as a medical doctor in New Jersey, New York and Michigan became known, she dispatched two letters: one, a template letter explaining her side, was sent to her friends; and the other, was his reply to my column.
The first one is her other side, invoking her God-given gifts and blessings that everything happens with a purpose as well as exonerating Joseph Tieng. "Let us ask God to replace such venom and hatred in his heart with God's love, so Joseph can have peace and joy of the Spirit," she implored.
The other letter, which shows her another side, was addressed to me (see her letter reprinted here after agreeing to have it published "in its entirety, not adulterated.") While I personally called her to get her side of the story, she now accuses me of being used by Tieng "in the pursuit of his evil designs."She also questions if my article served the community and argues that she is neither a "politician nor a celebrity that my private life has to be exposed for public consumption."
Well, Francisco has got it all wrong. Both letters show her lack of humility and more of her pomposity. I may not be the ultimate judge of everything but that's the least I can say if a firm rebuke of her arrogance, even from her fellowmen, was necessary. And that's not even quoting a passage from the Bible, which I believe allows such action.
What she claims as private matters is posted publicly in the Internet, which has a global outreach than this newspaper. As president-elect of a public corporation such as PACBC, she cannot claim her position as private matter.
Public figure, personal matters. That's the bottom line.
I will not go at length analyzing her letter to me. There's just too much to digest and if she thought her action was "an error in communication" and "?was too mundane to personally attend to" the fraud charges leveled against her, which caused the suspension of her license, I find her story hard to believe. Small problems grow to bigger ones.
Hey, if your license was at stake, wouldn't you be cautious? By signing off to the Consent and Agreement Order issued by the medical boards of New York, New Jersey and Michigan, was she offered a plea bargain?
Knowing that her license in New York was suspended and knowing further that such information would ultimately lead to medical boards in other states learn about her sanction, why did she pursue working in New Jersey and Michigan? Was she deliberately skirting the law or was she hoping her suspended license wouldn't get noticed?
Article XII, Section 1 of the by-laws of the PACBC, which pertains to Code of Ethics, stipulates that "The members and officers of PACBC, Inc. shall adhere to the code of ethics in the applicable not-for-profit corporation law, including but not limited to personal conduct, personal gain, conflict of interest or other censurable activities."
That provision is enough ground for her to step-down as president of PACBC. And she should. As someone who has been sanctioned for fraudulent practice by medical boards of three states, she can't be leading a public corporation.
Again, while she can argue the sanctions were a private matter and had nothing to do with PACBC, the law is as clear as crystal: "not limited to personal conduct and other censurable activities."
Public figure, personal matters.
The board of directors and members of PACBC should ask her to step down. PACBC's image cannot be further compromised. Francisco may have done wonderful things for individual members and may have contributed substantial money to the coffers of the organization but their by-laws must prevail.
If it strictly followed its rules during elections according to the letter of its by-laws, directors and members must also enforce the same in the case of Francisco, personal friendships aside. Fair is fair.
If it may help them decide, Nimia Lacebal, president of Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) has confirmed in our telephone conversation of Dec. 16 that she will no longer pursue the nomination of Francisco as independence ball chair. Similarly, in her letter of Dec. 12, Francisco wrote to me reiterating her reasons contained in her letter to Lacebal "for being unable to be the chairman."
But that's not enough. Francisco must take the cue from Kerik, the esteemed police commissioner of New York City. Or perhaps from former Jim McGreevy who had the courage to step down as governor of New Jersey.
If by stepping down could be more pleasing to God and would make her learn to be humble even though she does great works for His glory and our community, she should.
And PACBC must remember: public figure, personal matters. They should ask Francisco to step down. That should do the organization good and respectable in the long run.
Public figures, personal matters. That's the bottom line.
Send comments to rickyxpres@aol.com or visit Website at PinoyOnBoard.com.
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