AFTI Constitution & Rules

A. Name of the Association

The Society shall be called the ASSOCIATION OF FILIPINOS IN TONGA INCORPORATED

B. Interpretation

1. Association used in this Constitution means the Association of Filipinos in Tonga Incorporated, or AFTI.
2. Filipino shall mean a person of Filipino citizenship as defined in the Philippine Constitution.

C. Objects for which the Association is Established

The Objects for which the Society is established are:

1. To promote and foster a spirit of understanding and cooperation among the Filipinos working and residing in Tonga;
2. To maintain and promote the unique Filipino values and culture, and to uphold and require from it’s members a high standard of personal and professional conduct in the interests of the Association and the public generally;
3. To act as the official representative of the Filipinos in Tonga to liaise and cooperate with the Philippine Embassy in New Zealand which is also the current official Philippine diplomatic representative to Tonga;
4. To support the rights of individual Filipinos to enjoy equal opportunities, to receive equal protection under the law, and to have equitable access to community resources;
5. To encourage that all Filipinos entering and within Tonga to comply with all the requirements and have the legal documents to reside and work in Tonga;
6. To provide a venue for communication among members as well as a forum to share experiences and friendships;
7. To raise consciousness among its members regarding the unique customs, traditions and culture of the people in Tonga.

D. Manner in which Persons Become Members

1. Application for Membership in the Association shall be made to the Membership Council in the prescribed form.
2. Each applicant shall pay the admission fee and certify on the prescribed form that the information given by him therein is true and correct in every detail and shall undertake to observe the rules of the Association.
3. Initially, membership shall be open to all Filipino citizens as “defined in the Philippine constitution” , at least 18 years old and legally working or residing in Tonga.
4. Dependants of qualified members below 18 years of age shall be classified as member’s dependants.

E. Manner in which Persons Cease to be members of the Association

1. Any member may resign on giving written notice to the Association.
2. Any member who is no longer residing or working in Tonga will cease to be a member of the Association.
3. Any member shall ipso facto cease to be a member in the event his annual fees or any other sum or sums payable by him to the society’s being in arrear for three (3) months from the date on which such sums become payable.
4. Any member who without a valid reason failed to attend two general assembly meetings shall be given disciplinary action or have their membership discontinued.

F. Procedures for altering the rules of the Association

1. Any member of the Association can propose amendments to the rules of the society by writing a formal letter addressed to the President of the Association. The officers of the Association shall decide by majority vote whether such proposal is necessary and shall then inform all members of the proposal.
2. All alterations of the Rules of the Association must be put to a vote at a General Meeting of the Association and passed by two thirds of those present.

G. General Meeting and Voting Rights

1. The first general meeting shall be held at such time not being less than    one month nor more than three months after the formation of the Association and at such place as may be determined and advised to members.
2. An Annual general meeting shall be held once in every year at such time and place as shall be determined.  The business at such meetings shall be for the presentation of the Annual Report of the Activities of the Association, for receiving the Balance Sheet and Income Statement for the past year, appointment of an auditor, and any other business as required from time to time.
3. Bi-annual general meetings shall be held for the next half of the year after the Annual general meeting at such time and place as shall be determined. The business at such meetings shall be to review the activities of the previous half year, to outline the activities for the next half of the year, to update the general assembly on the status of membership, to elect an officer for any vacant post and such other matters as may be discussed.
4. Other General Meetings shall be called from time to time as required to attend to the business of the Association.
5. Not less than seven days notice of every General Meeting, specifying the place, the day and hour of the meeting, and the general nature of the business at hand, shall be given to the members.
6. Fifty percent plus one (50%+1) of all members based on the current listing with the Secretary of the Association shall be a quorum.
7. Each member shall have one vote at every General Meeting, whether on show of hands or on a poll.
8. A majority of votes from members present shall be constructed to carry any motion put forward at a General Meeting unless otherwise specified in these Rules.

H. Appointment of Officers

1. The term of office of officers shall be for two years.
2. An election shall be held at the end of the second year of office of the officers currently holding office. The election shall be held together with the annual general assembly meeting scheduled for that time.
3. Officers shall be members of the Association.
4. Initially, posts of Office will be as follows:

President, Vice President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer and Public Relations Officer

• There shall be a membership council made up of the President, the Secretary and one member chosen in confidence by the President.
• There shall be two (2) or three (3) advisers appointed by the majority of the officers to provide advice for the benefit of the Association.

5. In addition to the Officers, sub-committees may be set up to attend to specific tasks.  Each sub-committee will have a Chairman.
6. The officers shall have regular monthly meetings at such time and place as shall be determined.
7. The presence of at least four (4) officers in the monthly officers meeting shall constitute quorum.

I. Control and Use of the Common Seal

1. A common seal shall be obtained for the execution of documents in relation to the Association.
2. The seal of the Association shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of a resolution of the Officers of the Association.
3. The Secretary of the Association shall hold and execute the use of the seal as outlined above.

J. Control and Investment of Funds of the Association

1. The control and investment of the Funds of the Association shall rest with the Treasurer who will submit regular reports at the General Meeting and an Audited Annual Report once a year.
2. The Treasurer shall at all times maintain accounts in the name of the Association with a minimum of two (2) signatories to be required to access the funds. The authorised signatories shall only be any two of the President, the Vice President and the Treasurer.
3. Power of Association to borrow money – the association has no intention of borrowing money from any financial institutions.

K. Disposition of the property of the Association in the event of the winding up of the Association

1. The Association may be wound up voluntarily if, at a General Meeting, a resolution is passed requiring the society to be wound up and the resolution is confirmed at a  subsequent general meeting called together for that purpose and held not earlier than 30 days after the date on which the resolution so to be confirmed was passed.
2. If upon the winding up of the Association there remains after the satisfaction of all it’s debts and liabilities any property or cash whatsoever, the same shall be paid or distributed equally among the members of the Association that are currently in the register of members held by the Secretary at the time of the winding up.

L. Membership and Other Fees

1. The Annual Membership fee shall be determined by the members and Rules approved by the Association at the Annual General Meeting.
2. Initial membership fee is set at $10 per member and is payable once every year upon annual membership registration.
3. A monthly members’ fee will be collected other than the Annual Membership Fee which will form part of the General Fund to be used in the normal day to day operations of the Association.
4. A members’ special assistance fund shall be set-up for the specific purpose of:
   • providing funeral aid to members for the death of their parents and/or siblings if member is single, or death of spouse or children if member is married;
   • in case member dies, the assistance shall be paid to the parents and/or siblings if the member is single and to the spouse and children if the member is married, and if the bereaved spouse is also a member he/she can receive both assistance under items a) and b) above; and
   • farewell tokens for members who will be permanently relocating to other countries.

5. The amount of Monthly Members’ fee and the Members’ Special Assistance Fund shall be determined by the members of the Association at the Annual General Meeting
6. The Association can also from time to time when necessary set up a Non-members assistance fund to be obtained from solicitations endorsed by the Association to assist fellow Filipinos who are non-members in case they need assistance from the Association.   

M. Address of the Registered Office of the Association

1. The registered office of the Association shall be situated in Nuku’alofa, Tonga
2. Initially, the address of the Association shall be Nuku’alofa, Tonga.

N. Financial year end

The financial year end of the Association shall be the 30^th of September each year.

O. Register of Members

The Secretary of the Association shall maintain a Register of members.  This Register shall include the following information for each member:

• Name and date of birth
• Address and telephone number in Tonga
• Occupation
• The date upon which he became a member
• Passport number
• Working or resident visa number
• Philippine contact address and telephone number