| | JERSEY CITY -- In the aftermath of resignation of deputy mayor Ador Equipado, Filipino American organizations met with Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy on Monday, January 29, and endorsed two Filipinas to take over the post vacated by Equipado.
�We recommend Carmen Flores to be the next deputy mayor in recognition of her service to the community, � said Francis Sison, chairman of the Philippine-American Friendship Committee.
Other Filipino organizations, notably the group of senior citizens, are pushing for Elma Santander, president of the Philippine Bread House in this city, as the next deputy mayor.
The names of Flores and Santander were forwarded to Healy after the Jersey City Hall asked community leaders to submit nominees for the appointibe position of deputy mayor.
Equipado resigned on January 15 after he was confronted by Healy ovver complaints that he asked couples whose marriages he was officiating for unauthorized fees or donations.
Healy told the Filipino groups that he was still assessing the qualifications of the candidates to the position. At least 25 people submitted resumes hoping to be appointed as deputy mayor.
Flores was appointed as overall chairman of PAFCOM in 2001. Currently, she is active in healthy aging program of PAFCOM.
Flores was a former officer of Garden State Filipino American Association.
In 2000, former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman appointed Carmen as member of the Ethnic Advisory Council. Her main functions included establishing a closer working relationship between the Office of the Governor and the Filipino community, creating awareness of the needs and concerns of the Filipino community in New Jersey and bringing them to the attention of the governor.
She served as a liaison in various ethnic functions where the governor was not available.
In 2001, Jersey City Mayor Glen Cunningham appointed Flores as Commissioner to the Rent Leveling Board. She has a bachelor�s degree in English from the Far Eastern University in Manila.
Santander, meanwhile is known in the community as businesswoman.She is the president of the Philippine Bread House and the International Remittance Corp. (IRC) based on Newark Avenue.
She is also the executive vice president of the Worldwide Remittance Corp. -- a conduit of IRC formed in the Philippines to manage and handle the conversion of dollars to local currency through banks.
A graduate of the Philippine Women�s University, Santander bagged the AWIB �Entrepreneurial Achievement Award�, in 1999. A year later she received a citation from Mayor Schundler for her support for the �Sister City Agreement� between Jersey City and Manila City.
She attended the New York School of Interior Design, Culinary School of Basic Baking in New York, Dale Carnegie School for Public Speaking, and the Gemology Institute of America-Apprenticeship in General Merchandising, specializing in antique and estate jewelry.
PAFCOM, meanwhile, assured Healy of its support. | | |
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