Rotary Club of Tagbilaran. The trial part 2.

The vengeance of hatemongers Rotary Club of Tagbilaran. The trial part 2.

By Evan Iliadis former Rotarian member of the Rotary Club of Tagbilaran  Rotary Club of Tagbilaran. The trial part 2.

With no more ammunition left and all signs pointing to the end of the guerrilla activity, I had planned to shut down the website and head to Disneyland. However, word came from Bohol that the gang was opening another front. 

This time, they were relying not on Rotary International for logistics, but on the legal system. The opportunity—or what they believed to be one—arose from an email sent by Luella "Baby" Bantol, the then-President of the club. To set the record straight and prevent the terminated members from still acting as Rotarians in good standing, she informed all the presidents in District 3860 of the following: (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

Is there anything wrong with that? Apparently not. I would say... almost. It's now time to respond to this person who was “shocked” to see my name included in this email. Indeed, it is surprising, and this individual does not understand why I did not join the other three in their complaint. As he put it, "Evan, you have been libeled as well. You should be mad at your club. I can't understand why you are against the group and sympathetic to the club and the President."

First, allow me to clarify my position. This individual has consistently used this situation to try to benefit himself, revealing himself to be a true merchant of the temple. He is not acting out of ideology or genuine concern; rather, he is seeking material profit by maneuvering from one side to the other. Rotary Club of Tagbilaran. The trial part 2.

Others in Australia have also seen the mail and commented on it, sending mixed signals that are clear enough for me not to pretend I did not receive it. Here is my response:
I understood that my membership had been terminated as soon as this happened—not from a notification from the club, but from others informing me. This club, along with others in the 3860 district, has never formally notified any member about their termination. They have systematically ignored the Rotary bylaws and procedures regarding member terminations. It was even worse during the tenures of David and Baby Collins as presidents. Not only did they fail to notify members of their termination, but they also allowed them to attend meetings under the pretense that they were still members.Rotary Club of Tagbilaran. The trial part 2.

As far as I am concerned, I didn't really care much about my membership. I wasn't living in the Philippines anymore, I had no plans to join a club here in France, and I did not pay my dues. Most importantly, I was in full disagreement with the organization's ethics and morals regarding the disclosure of wrongdoing by its members.

Remember, I began my crusade against the dishonest practices just a month after receiving the PHF award as a member in good standing of the Rotary Club of Tagbilaran. I did not buy the award; it was paid for by the VAP (Very Active Participants) of the Rotary Club of Tagbilaran.  Rotary Club of Tagbilaran. The trial part 2.

You can now understand how little I cared about my membership, right? Furthermore, it came as a relief to me to express myself freely and share my story as I saw fit, rather than what Rotary and its members wanted to hear (or not hear, more accurately).

I have never linked my personal, professional, or spiritual interests with Rotary, making the separation easy and irrelevant. The termination of my membership had no negative impact on my life. In contrast, the Collins family suffered greatly because they tied their fortune and future to making money from Rotary, believing that this could continue indefinitely.

I promptly updated my status to “former Rotarian” when addressing Rotary and its members. I also began sending emails from a new address, "formerotarian@gmail.com.” Throughout this time, I have refrained from criticizing or discussing the club publicly and have avoided confrontational behavior with most members, except for collaborators and VAP followers, who received “special” reports.

Approximately two months ago, at the request of President Angelito Lechago, I addressed a technical issue on the website that I had previously been unaware of. I added a clear statement to the homepage stating that “The Rotary Club of Tagbilaran is not involved or associated in any way with this website,” among other clarifications.

Now, regarding what prompted Past President Luella Bantol to include my name in the email to the district about the termination of Collins and Deo Dioscoro: could it have been an attempt to avoid discrimination? That's quite laughable!

Allow me to clarify. PP Luella Bantol is not the actual author of this email. It was prepared by the club's attorney, who is familiar with the club’s strategy following my revelations and the failed assault the club faced from all over the district. Furthermore, from the international group that came to the rescue of the wrongdoers. This attorney, a club member, was the one who, back in October 2007—just days after my bombshell regarding the Rotary Club of Tagbilaran website—drafted an email under the direction of Derek Pyrah. This email “dissociated” the club from me, carefully avoiding the word “disapproving,” as requested by Pyrah.Rotary Club of Tagbilaran. The trial part 2.

Here is the letter

Derek Pyrah ensured that the information was sent to every single club in Australia by handling the task himself. Furthermore, the attorney instructed all club members to distance themselves from me and refrain from communicating with me—this included not even visiting the website. This left the members feeling even more terrorized and confused.

How can he explain that not a single member, including him, who had no doubt about the truthfulness and integrity of my accusations (which it was his responsibility as the auditing officer of the club to investigate in the first place), resorted to such a childish strategy? This ultimately led to a disaster for the club, jeopardizing the positive public image enjoyed by Victor and Luella Bantol in the community.

Bring the bottle please!

Coming soon: How the club's strategy to deal with the crooks failed. Instead of being the accusers, they ended up as the defendants. This trial is not just about money; it’s about vengeance. It’s about high-ranking Rotarians scapegoating others to save themselves. They chose PP Luella Bantol to be the scapegoat. Stay tuned—be patient, and you’ll learn more soon. Rotary Club of Tagbilaran. The trial part 2.

The trial: Continue to page 3 The trial: Back to page 1