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Is APAMO Coming Or Going On Referendum Issue?
posted (December 8, 2011)
And while Ya'axche is not in the coalition, it is a member of APAMO, the Association of Protected Management Organizations. That is the umbrella organization for conservation organizations, covering 12 of them.

And with its pre-eminence in the Conservation movement, APAMO - one would think - should be at the center of the referendum process. But, instead, it's on the sidelines; the organization abstained in the voting and today, its Chairman wasn't at the front table; we saw him standing in the back of the room.

But we may be reading too much into it - because Edilberto Romero told us that APAMO supports the coalition:..

Geovanni Brackett - COLA
"APAMO is a member of the coalition still, there are difference still even in cabinet level, but after cabinet makes a decision you don't go in and say well Boots voted this way and the other one voted this way, but we know that from speaking as best as the coalition concern we do as a coalition support each other and we have the support of APAMO."

Jules Vasquez
"I have seen communication which says that they will not support the referendum unless a poll is done before to shown to show that there is enough support."

Edilberto Romero, Chairman of APAMO
"Well unfortunately Jules, that's information shouldn't have been gone out, because that's internally discussions of details that shouldn't have been given out to the media, but the truth of the matter is that, that point is mute at this time. APAMO attended the meeting of the coalition and at that coalition meeting a voting was done and the coalition decided to go ahead with the referendum and as far as I am concern the referendum is going on. So it doesn't matter what position COLA had, or APAMO had or NTUCB had, or any individual organization because it's not an individual organization, its coalition that's moving ahead with the referendum."

Jules Vasquez
"However you all abstain in that vote, I am saying That APAMO..."

Edilberto Romero, Chairman of APAMO
"Yes we, APAMO as a membership had decided on a position. Circumstances have change there is new information that we received at the meeting of the coalition. That information had not been divulged to the membership of APAMO and our position at that point was that, the membership of APAMO needed to hear all that new information, in order to reconfirm its original position or to change its position and so hence our abstention on the voting."

Jules Vasquez
"However is APAMO an organization of sturdy or a firm organization or it's just a "wishy washy" organization because A; it abstains B; you depart from your principle position that a poll had to proceed the thing. What are you guys doing?"

Edilberto Romero, Chairman of APAMO
"It depends what you call it, how you define "wishy washy" I don't think so. Our records stands as a strong organization as organization we have our own internal process that we go through."

Jules Vasquez
"I know that APAMO is an organization when it speaks it should make people tremble or officials tremble and it has in the pass, but I am saying that if this move seems out of character, because it's adopted a position and then when that position is not lived up to, it's just vacates it's position and abstain and I am saying that APAMO does not seem to be committed."

Edilberto Romero, Chairman of APAMO
"Well I'll tell you that this referendum that was decided has been one of the strategies. APAMO has not said referendum is a bad thing we have never said that, it's about the timing of the referendum, it's about the referendum and other strategiess to us, and it's about the timing and as I said there has been new information coming up that was disclosed at the last general meeting that APAMO did not had and it's only fair that APAMO as the leadership to go back to its membership to share that information before we could adopt a yes or no position."

Jules Vasquez
"So then as it stands right now APAMO is uncommitted."

Edilberto Romero, Chairman of APAMO
"As it stands we have to discuss this and we're having a meeting next week to go over it and address these issues, but we are still with the coalition."

APAMO is expected to hold that membership meeting next week.

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