Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian.

Hello and good day to all activists worldwide fighting against crooks disguised as philanthropists and do-gooders operating within clubs and associations. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian.

What you are about to discover is the story of a former Rotarian who had the courage to stand up and shed light on a subtle, clever scam that was occurring within a Rotary Club in the Philippines. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian.  

In the year 2005, in Provence of Bohol Philippines, a story may seem a bit old and outdated, but the sophistication of the scheme, while not entirely unique, was not an isolated case within Rotary International. The perpetrators of this scam had a few mentors who were well-versed in the practice from their experiences in the USA and Australia. They subsequently passed their knowledge on to local Rotarians in Cebu and Bohol.

Evan ILIADIS,, a member of the Rotary Club of Tagbilaran  alerted the Rotary administration in Evanston, Illinois, to the fact that they seemed more focused on protecting the club's reputation than addressing his accusations. Consequently, he decided to take the matter to a public tribunal by first publishing the story on the club's own website: rotarycluboftagbilaran.org. van ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian.

EHe published no fewer than 60 entries detailing the scam, naming and shaming the unscrupulous crooks who were taking advantage of the desperation of poor people in the rural areas of Bohol. These individuals were only giving 10 cents of each donated dollar by generous Rotarians and, more importantly, tby the Rotary Foundation (TRF), which amounts to thousands of US dollars. 

 Years later, Evan shut down nearly all blogs related to the Rotary without providing any explanation to his thousands of readers. I was one of those readers, as well as a contributor who organized mailing campaigns to subscribers around the world. I reached out to him multiple times, but all my requests went unanswered. I wondered if he had passed away. However, I later found out that he is still very much alive. Whatever the reason for his silence, I, Gerald Tevenier, have decided to revive his blogs. I didn't have the necessary material, but way back machine had archived them. It is crucial for every generation to grasp the significance of this knowledge, as it holds the key to shaping a better future for our world.

Let's get started.

 

 VILLAGE AIDE PROGRAM(VAP rip-off) as we know it.

van ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian.

Evan ILIADIS wrote.First, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Evan Iliadis, a former member of the Rotary Club of Tagbilaran (RCT) on the island of Bohol, Philippines, where I lived for six years. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

From day one after my induction in March 2004, I made community service a priority. I volunteered my time without pay, serving children, the elderly, and individuals with mental disabilities. The funds for this service were provided by the Village Aide Program (VAP), an organization based in Australia, founded by Rotarian Derek Pyrah and his former family.

He, Pyrah, made headlines by leaving his partner at the age of 62 to move to the Philippines for a romantic relationship with a 20-year-old Filipino girl. The funds for this endeavor were managed by former Rotarian and Past President of the Rotary Club of [RCT], Dave Collins. 

In August 2007, I received the Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) award, which my club unanimously agreed I deserved. The $1,000 cost was covered by the VAP. However, I was not thrilled at all. I wish I had received the award from the president of the Rotary Club as a genuine recognition of my services to the club, rather than unknowingly contributing to VAP's questionable business practices..-van ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian.

Back on September 2007, as a member of the ROTARY CLUB OF TAGBILARAN (RCT for short) I filed a request with the club asking the president to investigate the then Rotarians Dave and Baby Collins members of the said club the whereabouts of the following amounts of money: Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

-5 Matching Grants (MG) have been approved, and funds have been wired by The Rotary Foundation (TRF) to a Metro Bank (MB) account. The custodians of this account are David Collins and Deoscoro Uy, who is the manager of the local MB branch, a past president of the Rotary Club of Tagbilaran (RCT), and the treasurer. The MG I am referring to includes:

- RC Milton-Mowbray Matching Grant 2006  P 800,000.00
- RC Milton-Mowbray Matching Grant 2007P950,000.00
- RC Collingwood Canada  Matching Grant 2007 P790,000.00
- RC Wilshire Blvd Hollywood Matching Grant 2007 P 900,000.00
- RC West Wollongong Matching Grant 2007 P 902,739.95

-Thousands of US dollars received from donations given by clubs and Rotarians around the world were never recorded in the club's accounting report, as presented during the regular meeting by Treasurer Deo Uy. Instead, these funds were deposited into an MB account, of which only Collins and Deo were custodians. They were the only ones aware of the details regarding the money, which violates Rotary International bylaws that require every single dollar to be deposited in a bank account controlled by the club. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

10 million pesos (approximately US$250,000.00) was received from the Village Aide Program based in Australia, as claimed by Baby Collins on a banner posted outside her pawn shop in downtown Tagbilaran City. The club had no prior knowledge of any financial transactions or bank account under their control involving such amounts as stated on the banner.

- A detailed cost and bidding documents are required for all construction projects financed by the RI, as stipulated in the terms and conditions of the TRF. This includes projects like the construction of water-less toilets, water tanks, and others. However, these tasks were instead carried out by Dave Collins, who acted as a prime contractor and employed his own workers. This action violated the "conflict of interest" section outlined in the TRF bylaws. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

-The RCT formed an investigative committee to address the complaint. However, the Collins family, when ordered to attend scheduled appointments to explain the accusations, did not comply. Instead, they chose to leave the club, opting for the status of fugitives rather than attempt to defend the indefensible. They were aware that my allegations were solidly founded and fully supported by their own fingerprints. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

At the same time, I notified the TRF about the fraud—there's no other term that quite fits—by submitting the necessary documentation to support my claims. I directed this information to Meredith Berliew and Colette Martin-Wilde, both coordinators of the Matching Grant program, as well as Heather Fosburgh, the stewardship supervisor, all three of whom are based at the RI headquarters in Evanston, Illinois.

-At the time of my inquiry, not all the funds were invested in the intended projects. Collins and Deo Uy were asked to provide a full accounting of the funds received and to disclose the whereabouts of the unused money. Baby Collins responded that they returned 4 million pesos (approximately 88 thousand US dollars) to the TRF. However, no proof of this claim was provided to the investigators. 

Meanwhile, the TRF ordered Catherine King, a senior Matching Grant supervisor and coordinator for the Southeast Asia Rotary clubs, to investigate my allegations. She cleared the RCT of any wrongdoing, indicating that the club could reapply for Matching Grants if they wished. However, when asked to provide information about the 4 million pesos that Collins claimed to have returned, she has not responded. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

-Out of the hundreds of emails I received, I selected two examples of typical comments that reflect many others. Both comments were written by American Rotarians. Does this make a difference? It certainly does. Their pragmatism is often not well received by the rest of the world, particularly in developing countries, due to a lack of sensitivity and understanding of other cultures—unless they have actually spent time there. “Bill’s” comment below is a typical example of this. Meanwhile, “George” suggests that I should go “right on the money,” so to speak!

 Here is the first:

“I found your site interesting, especially as a brand new Rotarian. The only thing I’d question, without knowing ANY facts, is how much better would these people have been if the Rotarians had done NOTHING?”
Bill. (Not his real name)

Bill, not many will agree with your approach to charity work. If you are cheating the IRS by paying only $100 in taxes instead of the $1,000 you actually owe, should the people be grateful to you for paying something instead of nothing? The real issue here is the motivation behind "helping" the poor, how much money was received, and how much was actually invested. Should we be thankful to the individuals mentioned above and below when they ask for a dollar donation to feed the hungry, claiming that 97% of the funds go to the cause, only to find that when you open the bag, it contains only 20 cents worth of food? Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

 

I have distributed hundreds of the famous "bundle of joy" and know what I’m talking about! So, based on your opinion (and philosophy), should we applaud them for giving 20 cents instead of the 97% they claimed they would give?

 

 

  He claims, both here and in several other documents I possess, that the administrator's cost is only 2.3% of the budget, which is meant to cover travel expenses and accommodations for trips from Australia to the Philippines five times a year. This budget also caters to numerous guests from Australia, as well as travel and accommodation expenses for RI officials, board members, and his ex-wife—all funded by this 2.3% allocation from an annual income of $100K as Derek Pyrah claims? I'll leave the conclusion to the readers. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

-The second email came from a respected long-time Rotarian with an honorable record in the organization. Let's call him "George." He wrote: “If it is about money, be specific about how the money actually flowed and how it should have flowed. You don’t need much more than that.” 

Request granted, George. Although I have often described my accusations, let me put it simply and directly one more time. I am accusing them of the following: Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

1. There have been accusations of defrauding individuals, Rotarians, clubs, and organizations in Australia and around the world. The VAP leaders, Derek Pyrah and Dave Collins, allegedly misled donors into contributing funds by misrepresenting their actions. They instructed donors to deposit money not into a bank account controlled by the RCT Club, but into an account that they (Collins and treasurer PP Deo Dioscoro) managed entirely, without the club's knowledge of its existence. Notably, Deo Dioscoro serves as the manager of the Metro Bank where these accounts were held. This serves as just one example of the issue. If interested you can read more inside this blogEvan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 
   
2. Dave Collins is accused of defrauding TRF of thousands of dollars by misrepresenting the use of the MG. He failed to disclose that he was the contractor-builder for all the construction projects submitted for financing. Instead, he claimed that a construction company named Valles Construction, located in Tagbilaran, Bohol, was hired for the work. However, there is no record of such a company under this name in the Trades and Industry Department database in Bohol. Look at the mails sent by him to to RI and other recipients, including myself.
    

   

   
   

   
   

   

   Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian.
   

   
   

I’m asking again, George: On what basis should I overlook the fact that all the medication purchased did not reach its intended destination—a free distribution to the poor—but instead was diverted to the shelves of his wife’s pharmacy for sale? Baby Collins is better known for her obsession with changing her cell phone weekly to always have the latest model, as well as her European-made

They are claiming, "Oh yes! We have receipts!" But what receipts are they talking about? All of them are in the name of her pharmacy, covering what she purchases for her business as well as for the Rotary. Has anyone actually seen any of these receipts? If you have, please raise your hand.

-Once I submitted a request to my club to open an investigation into the matters described above, the President formed an investigative committee to explore the allegations. They arranged several meetings with Collins and PP Dioscoro for discussions and were instructed to submit the bank account passbooks—what we call savings account booklets in the Philippines—where all transactions are recorded. (I wondered why they didn’t have a checking account.) Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

However, they refused to cooperate, disappeared, and did not attend either the investigation meetings or the regular meetings. "George, do you know anyone innocent who behaves this way? If my allegations, as submitted to the club and to Rotary International, were driven by malice due to a personal vendetta, it would be easy for such powerful individuals to dismiss them right from the start. Instead, they chose to hide rather than take the time to provide an explanation." Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

-The Rotary International (RI) and the District Governor (DG) were informed about these facts a long time ago. Their inaction on this matter not only led to a “let it go” attitude but also encouraged the accused to further amplify their already unhealthy and predatory behavior towards the local Rotary community. The RI has encountered this story before Please review the details and let me know if this is relevant to the RI or not.

Evan ILIADIS wrote this.

Rotary should revoke the memberships of VAP founders Derek Pytah and Dave Collins due to their unlawful and defamatory actions against another Rotary club, the Rotary Club of Upper Tagbilaran in Bohol, Philippines 

In a time when District Governors were directed by Rotary to prioritize the creation of new clubs and the induction of new members, some were conspiring to undermine the chartering of a specific club. They spread defamatory information about several future members in an unethical manner, attempting to discredit them. This effort was close to succeeding. While they offered to sponsor these individuals, their true intention was to tarnish their reputations and derail their efforts. However, despite their tactics, the plans ultimately fell short. to their persistence, fighting, (Link goes to the wayback archive)  support and common sense of the then DG 3860 Evelyn Magno the RCUT survived the coup. Today, 2 years later this club enjoys the full recognition of the people of Bohol and the questionable support of the DG Yumi Espina. Read this, take a look in the photo and be the judge. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

What motivated this plot? The answer lies in fear, hate, and greed. Collins had numerous reasons to fear the establishment of this club comprised entirely of Filipinos, particularly young men and intellectuals. In contrast, the RCT had only 10 out of its 25 members who were foreigners. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

  - Members of the Rotary Club of Tagbilaran were concerned that former Rotarians, who had left the club after colluding with Baby to facilitate their own departures, might join a new club and retaliate against them. This raised questions about why they had facilitated their own termination, a query frequently posed by members regarding their activities. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

 -There is a fear of the discovery of the VAP's dishonest activities on the island. Among the members of the RCUT are experienced engineers. If their chartering goes through, there will be some interaction between the only two clubs in town. "Go tell them that a dry toilet, as they see it, costs 300,000 pesos or 7,000 Australian dollars! They will laugh in your face." Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

-There are concerns that Derek Pyrah may be compelled to provide more equitable support for MG, similar to what he had to do with certain clubs in Cebu. “If you inform your supporters in Australia that you are partnering with District 3860 in the Philippines, you must deliver on that promise. There are other clubs within the district as well, including the RCUT. However, it is out of the question for Collins to collaborate with them. Collins's paranoia reached its peak when President Luella Bantol of the RCT not only continued to invite members but also began visiting the RCUT.”

Read the story as it was published at the local press. It tells it all. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian. 

If they can't find any wrongdoing, they will need to review their members' attitudes, policies, morals, and interpretations of what constitutes misbehavior. Their inaction in this matter has been taken for granted by the accused, leading to further harassment of anyone in their path, including requests for the District Governor of District 3860 to order the closure of the RCT. It is crucial that they address these issues seriously to prevent further escalation. When he said "NO!", the three complainants filed libel charges against Luela Bantol, who was the president during the events in question. It's important to note that libel laws in the Philippines allow the complainant to file either a criminal case, a civil case, or both. In this instance, they chose to file only civil charges, seeking 500,000 pesos from each complainant, which amounts to about $10,000—quite a significant sum by Philippine cost of living standards. Yes, George, you’re right on the money! Do you know of any judge in the world who has sentenced a Rotary president for simply doing her job? Her responsibilities included canceling memberships for non-payment of dues and for not attending regular meetings for over six months. Isn’t that a case of misbehavior? It sounds more like harassment—harassment—harassment! Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian.  Finally, I want to address this: This blog has been ongoing for more than a year now, and the same facts are repeated over and over again. Is this still serving a purpose? Yes and no. If your main concern is the financial aspect, George, that's no longer an issue. The money is gone—vanished, and no one will ever face consequences for it. This blog won’t bring it back. As I mentioned before, it was just Rotary money. Now, the focus has shifted to misbehavior, which has caused more harm than the original embezzlement ever did. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian.  Time has been kind to Collins. The club did not file any criminal charges against them, despite having plenty of reasons to do so. Instead, they chose to ignore the situation, relieved to regain control of their club. Finally, peace and order prevailed. They hoped that Collins would leave them alone in their challenging task of rebuilding the club's reputation and expanding membership. They were making great progress in both areas. However, Dave Collins, Derek Pyrah,John Van Laar and a few others had a different agenda. Evan ILIADIS - Diaries of a former Rotarian.

City of Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines