By Bilyonaryo staff
Five reform-minded candidates for the Manila Polo Club board have joined forces behind the West Side Project while pushing for greater transparency and tighter safeguards around major club decisions.
Former Globe Telecom chief Ernest Cu is running with Felicia “Feli” Hung-Atienza, Alberto “Albert” de Larrazabal, Agustin “Gus” Montilla IV and Conrad Onglao in a five-member slate for the Aug. 24 election.
They are competing for five available seats in a seven-person field. The two other candidates are Rachel “Chinky” Remulla-Shah and incumbent trustee Dobbin Tan.
The slate’s main campaign focus is the West Side Project, a major redevelopment of the club’s aging western facilities that has stirred debate among members over spending, disclosure and the extent of the board’s authority.
“First and foremost, we fully support the West Side Project,” the group said in a message seeking members’ proxies. “We believe our members deserve first-class facilities.”
The five said, however, that development should be accompanied by stronger governance and financial discipline.
“We are pro-development and intend to spend wisely to enhance the Member experience and ensure the Club’s long-term financial strength,” they said.
The slate wants the club to upgrade aging facilities and improve the quality, variety, value and consistency of its dining and food and beverage offerings, sports facilities and social spaces.
It is also proposing new amenities, including a senior lounge, wellness area and indoor children’s playground.
On governance, Cu’s team wants policies covering procurement, membership, bids and awards, conflicts of interest and related-party transactions to be readily available to members. It is also seeking fuller disclosure of the club’s long-term strategic plan, approved budgets, contracts, awarded bids and board resolutions.
The group is calling for clearer limits on the board’s authority over major projects, including “clear and reasonable thresholds” for investments of material or exceptional financial significance. These would define when trustees may act independently and when broader membership approval should be required.
It also wants trustees to focus on governance, policy and long-term strategy while leaving more day-to-day operations to management and subcommittees.
Hung-Atienza is an educator and entrepreneur; de Larrazabal, a businessman; Montilla, a veteran corporate lawyer, and Onglao, an architect and chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture.
Remulla-Shah is the sister of Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla and Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, while Tan is the only incumbent trustee seeking another term.
Members will elect five trustees on Aug. 24, after which the new board will select the club’s officers from among its members.—Bilyonaryo.com
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