![]() ![]() By JOHN L. SHINN III LAZT Founder & Editor The Zamboanga Hermosa Club of Southern Calif. never seem to learn from its many past mistakes LOS ANGELES --- This year, like several years in the past, I have not received any flyer from the Zamboanga Hermosa Club of Southern California in regards to the organization's Fiesta Pilar celebrations this month. Bueno pa el grupo de Florida, Northern California, Vancouver, Arizona, Las Vegas, Toronto, Canada y Zamboanga City---ta imbia de ila press release para anuncia el fetcha de ila celebracion del fiesta. I have been paying my yearly dues every December, but it seems like even if I pay or not---I still would not receive any flyers from them. And I have every reason to believe that this is being done "intentionally" since I have been very critical of these same officers who still run the affairs of the club today. As if to send me a subliminal message to insult me, the organization would send my brother Kenny, a flyer every year (they stopped sending him flyers two years ago, maybe, when they found out Kenny and I live together) even though Kenny hardly ever attends any of their social functions nor does he pay his annual dues because of the fact that he's not an "active" member of the club. It seems the officers (yes, the same ones I've been critical of in the past) of this organization---founded by my grandmother, Lourdes Atilano-Shinn, in 1972---have not learned from their mistakes in the past. There seem to be an unwritten rule in this organization of "excluding" those they dislike or those who are not part of their "inner circle" of friends. I don't even know who the president of this organization is at present because the officers don't seem to care to inform our community through press releases which is the norm for any organization with a new set of officers. There seem to be a more "sinister" motive of trying to keep our community from being informed about what's going on with the club. And, I think I just found the answer: It appears that the officers of the organiza- tion are still beholden to the club's former president Randy Dagalea whom we in- vestigated almost two years ago for "sexual misconduct" and "conflict of interest." Our investigation of Dagalea earned him the moniker, "ultimate party host" because of his penchant of hosting parties at his residence which most, if not all, the club's officers are always in attendance. I've seen pictures of one of the group's gathering this year which was held in Carson, Calif. And from the impression it gave me, Dagalea, is still running the show for the organization. Which means, to me, that whoever heads this organization today is merely a "puppet" of Dagalea, whom our investigation found to be "morally unfit" to serve our community as the organization's president. Dagalea was not only a "disgrace" to the organization but the entire Zamboan- gueño community from Los Angeles to San Diego. This should have been a good reason for the organization to distance itself from Dagalea and start rebuilding the credibility of the organization. But, not this club. Instead, the club even held their annual picnic in Carson, Calif., where Dagalea resides. It was as if the club officers wanted to tell the community that they are still very much attached to their "ultimate party host.". If the organization is too deeply involved with Dagalea that it cannot distance itself from the disgraced former club president, then they should replace our Virgen del Pilar with Randy Dagalea as the organization's patron saint. I'm so disappointed to note that, the current officers of Zamboanga Hermosa Club of Southern California (ZHCSC) have not learned their lesson from the past mistakes with Dagalea. But like I said earlier the group's photos that I've seen tells me that the offi- cers of the organization still share the same bed with Dagalea. ![]() |