Following is the text of the Proposal from the ISM Sustaining Members. This message was read to the community on Thursday evening, September 7th at the Manila Golf Club. It was subsequently released on Friday, September 8th.

A Proposal from ISM Sustaining Members

Dear ISM Community,

   One of the classes of membership in the International School Manila corporation, as provided in ISM by-laws, is Sustaining Members. Sustaining Members "consist of such organizations and individuals who have made substantial contributions to the School and who have been … elected to sustaining membership." There are currently 28 Sustaining Members, according to ISM records, who are long-term contributors to sustaining ISM.

  In response to the current crisis, the undersigned Sustaining Members met on Wednesday, September 6, to discuss our concerns for the teachers, students, parents, administrators and staff of ISM. We concluded that a way forward needs to be defined to help resolve the current crisis quickly.

  In the spirit of contributing to a resolution and reestablishing a stable learning and teaching environment for our children and educators, we offer the ISM community the following way forward, to be implemented upon the removal of the remaining members of the board of trustees, by resignation or by a vote of two-thirds majority of members of the corporation.

  We propose the election of an interim board by the general membership to serve only until the next elections in May. The interim board would be responsible for consulting widely within the ISM community to contribute to a healing process, conducting business as is necessary to the functioning of the school, organizing elections for the next board, and considering amendments to the by-laws for approval of the general membership, to help avoid a recurrence of the current crisis.

  No member of the interim board would be a candidate in the next board elections. None of the trustees of the board serving after elections last May, nor candidates in those elections, would serve on the interim board. We believe that such an interim board would best serve unity and stability at ISM.

  In this spirit, the undersigned Sustaining Members propose the following candidates for the interim board. If this proposal meets with general favor among the ISM community, we suggest they be elected as a slate as soon as practicable. Each of these candidates has expressed his or her willingness to serve together in this interim capacity, in full acceptance of these stated goals and conditions, for the good of the school.

Proposed Interim Board of Trustees

Randy Johnson - Country Chairman, Chevron Philippines, Inc. (Sustaining Member)

Sanjiv Vohra - Citigroup Country Officer, Philippines (Sustaining Member)

Byoung Hyun Suh - Director, United Korean Community Association, President, Three Seven Food & Products, Inc.

Ernest Cu - President & CEO, SPI Technologies, Inc.

Ambassador Annika Markovic, Embassy of Sweden

Aurelio Montinola III - President, Bank of the Philippine Islands (Sustaining Member)

Fredrick M. Santos - President, American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (Sustaining Member), Chairman, CB Richard Ellis, Philippines Managing Director, CB Richard Ellis, Hong Kong

Margarita Delgado - President, Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation, Vice-President, Delbros, Inc.

Paul W. Jones - Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the United States of America (Sustaining Member)

Juan Miranda, Director General, Central and West Asia Regional Development, Asian Development Bank (Sustaining Member)

End list

  We the undersigned Sustaining Members admire and support the many parents, administrators, faculty, staff and students of the ISM community who are giving their time, energy and creativity to overcoming the current crisis. We hope that this proposal further multiplies those efforts and contributes to a quick resolution for the benefit of all.

Signed,

Alfredo M. Velayo
President, William J. Shaw Foundation

Ambassador Juan Jose P. Rocha
President and CEO, C.F. Sharp Group of Companies

Noel Lorenzana
Managing Director, Unilever Philippines

Manuel N. Tordesillas
President, ATR Kim Eng Financial Corporation

John D. Forbes
Director and Treasurer, American Chamber of Commerce

Cesar O. Melo
President and General Manager, Colgate-Palmolive Philippines

Paul W. Jones
Chargé d'Affaires, Embassy of the United States of America

Sanjiv Vohra
Citigroup Country Officer, Philippines

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II
Chairman, Bank of the Philippine Islands

Kitty Li
Country HR Director, Procter and Gamble Philippines

Randy H. Johnson
Country Chairman, Chevron Philippines, Inc.

Aurelio R. Montinola III
President and CEO, Bank of the Philippine Islands