The Pacific

Development

Guam's Pangeflnan is first woman to head Pacific Community

Community’s 29th annual general meeting last month elected Lourdes

Pangelinan as the first woman to head the regional Pacific organisation.

After two and a half hours of debates behind closed doors, the Pacific Community (PC) delegates, including heads of the member governments and states, unanimously chose Pangelinan to replace outgoing director general, Australian Robert Dun, whose term expired last year.

Another candidate within the PC, Solomon islander Jimmy Rodgers, currently the PC’s first deputy director general, based

in Suva (Fiji islands) withdrew minutes before the vote took place in the consensual, non-confrontational ‘Pacific Way’.

Pangelinan was Dun’s recommended choice and was also supported by France, another major aid donor to the PC, because she speaks both English and French, the PC’s two official languages.

Other candidates were from Australia, Fiji and New Zealand.

Pangelinan was until now the PC’s other deputy director from the PC’s Noumea

headquarters.

She was also chief of staff to former Guam governor Joseph Ada until 1994, when she joined the Pacific

Community.

She also becomes the first Pacific island woman to head the Noumea-based regional organisation.

Upon her election, she gave credit to Australian Dun’s work for the past three years, saying since she had been working with him for the past four years, she would continue in the same direction.

Dr Jimmy Rodgers retains his position as first deputy director of the regional organisation. ■