JEDDAH, 30 November 2002 — The regional chapters of the Philippine Guardians Brotherhood, Inc. (PGBI) in Riyadh and Jeddah have elected their new sets of officers.
In Jeddah, the Red Sea Chapter’s officers are Frank Agana, president/chairman; Roel Pestaño, executive vice president/vice-chairman; Jerene Talam, secretary; Apolonio Patricio, Jr., treasurer; Marcelino Navarro, auditor; Aquilino Navor and Jesus Padayao, PROs. Mel Gamet, Gerome Chua, Ramrod Sagad and Caloy Carlos were elected to the legislative board.
They were elected during the chapter’s 2nd annual convention, general assembly and year-end celebration at Hotel Sofitel recently.
In Riyadh, the chapter officers are Virgilio D. Bolor, chairman; Francisco Lombo, vice chairman for operations; Rustico Abenojar, vice chairman for finance; Sergio Jason, secretary; Felomina dela Cruz, assistant secretary; Norly Nunez, treasurer; Mariamlyn Cadena, assistant treasurer; Gregorio Aguilar, auditor; Melvin Hernandez, assistant auditor; Jimmy Arellano, PRO; Edwin Cuison, business manager; Jovita Alcera, business manager.
Liverto Cortez, Samuel Velasco, Fernando Uclos, John Jugarap and Patricio Domingo, sergeants-at-arms; Noel G. Noriega, Adolfo F. de Guzman Jr. and Jerry de Asis, adviser; and Cris Ducusin, chapter founder.
Earlier, the Desert Storm and Arabian Gulf chapters of the PGBI in the Eastern Region were inducted into office by Assistant Labor Attaché Jalilo dela Torre, head of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in the region.
PGBI leaders in the Kingdom have said their purpose is to help foster harmony among fellow Filipinos and to help in nation-building.
The PGBI, according to a recent report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, is an offshoot of the Guardians Brotherhood, a fraternity of soldiers founded in the early 1980s.
Hounded by controversies due to its alleged support for then military chief Gen. Fabian C. Ver, the group has since split into four and had accepted civilians, mostly professionals, among their members.
The PGBI is now chaired by Sen. Gregorio Honasan. Another group called the Guardians Cooperative Foundation Inc. is led by retired Col. Billy Bibit, the Guardians Brotherhood Inc. is led by Col. Efren Arayata, and the Guardians Philippines Inc., led by police Superintendent Liborio Jangao.
“In the 1987-89 coup attempts against then President Corazon Aquino, two Guardians factions — Honasan’s and Bibit’s — were on the rebel side while the two other factions stayed loyal to the government,” the Inquirer report said.
Early this month, Jangao, reportedly known as “master founder” of the Guardians Brotherhood, along with other military and police officers, met with President Gloria Arroyo to assure her that they were not plotting against her government.
The president was later seen on television describing the group as “an NGO with many good projects,”
“Those unruly Guardians are not with this group. They belong to another faction,” Jangao was also reported as saying.
