It’s in the Bag: An APO election

By: Melanie Yapson Bergonio

To elect means to choose or to make a decision…

Elections were used as early in history as ancient Greece and ancient Rome, and throughout the Medieval period to select rulers such as the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope.

In India, in the olden days, palm leaves were used by the villagers for assembly elections. The leaves, with candidate names written on them, were put inside a mud pot for counting.

An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the executive and judiciary, and for regional and local government. This process is also used in many other private and business organizations, from clubs to voluntary associations and corporations.

We need elections so we can choose the people who will lead a group. The question of who may vote is always a question. In APO or in the Association of Philippine Orthodontists, we hold elections every 2 years and only fellows in good standing can vote. As an association with great camaraderie amongst its colleagues, politicking is never a problem.

Last June 4, 2014, at the Metro Club in Makati, the Association held its elections for the year 2014-2016. As we welcome the new set of officers, let us be reminded that they will be working for the common good of everyone. They need our support.

Congratulations!