Evan Iliadis blog

The Rotary International Years.

The Rotary International Years.

In 2003, two American guys came to my house asking me to join the Rotary International Club in Tagbilaran. It wasn’t the first time I was approached by this organization; it happened in France and later in the US by Brothers Free Mason, who were already members.

Honestly, the social clubs never attracted me as much respect and admiration as I had, and still have, for the Masonic Lodge, the Rotary, and other similar clubs never touched my heart. The status of these organizations was known to me in the first world as it was clearly defined by Paul Harris. The Rotary International Years.

“In 1905, Paul Harris organized the first Rotary Club “in fellowship and friendship” with three clients, Silvester Schele, Gustavus Loehr, and Hiram Shorey . His initial goal was to create a club of professionals and businessmen for friendship and fellowship. 

Early on, Harris realized that Rotary needed a greater purpose. While Harris served as president of the Chicago Rotary Club in 1907, the club initiated its first public service project, the construction of public toilets in Chicago. This step transformed Rotary into the world’s first Service Club.^{[4][5]  If interested, Read more The Rotary International Years.}

It was unclear to me how a group of businessmen and prominent citizens in the Third World could show compassion for their people. They claimed to be a philanthropic organization, while I believed it was nothing else than a source of closing business deals amongst members.

Unless your name is Bill Gates, you don’t need customers or more money; it’s just an image cleanup. To be known as a human, not as a financial tycoon and money hungry as he is often portrayed by these reporters of the LA Times in their story. Dark cloud over good works of Gates Foundation – Los Angeles Times  It confirms what exactly I was thinking. The Rotary International Years.

The 2 Americans who offered me the membership had nothing of the usual Rotarian profile. One, Jack Galbreath, a retired Vietnam Veteran, married to a Filipino living in Bilar, Bohol, for many years, was known for helping the poor and destitute in his community. But not really without considering some personal ambition and counting on the return on investment. The Rotary International Years.

His wife Ester Corazon Galbreath  was elected Mayor of the town of Bilar several times, later elected as a Board member in the Provincial Government of Bohol. The poor and destitute are still hungry; the fish given once in a while is a day’s meal, and then they are hungry again the next day. Poverty numbers in the Philippines go on the upside year after year, with no reversal in the foreseeable future.

The other one, Dave Collins, is also an American retiree from GE. He is a Mechanical Engineer, and according to him, he wasn’t the typical Rotarian as I knew them in the first world. Married to a rich Filipina owner of numerous pawn shops known in the country as sharks shops because of predatory lending practices, also known as 5/6ers because of the interest rate they charge, 5 to 6% per month, even up to 20% per month. 

During my initial visit to the club, I was pleasantly surprised by the diverse range of trades and professions represented by the members. These included a prominent politician, a private hospital owner, and his wife in their 80’s, veterans with several years of membership, a nurse, a couple of local branch bank managers, a low-rank government worker, a couple of foreigners’ wives (yes, that makes them important in the Philippines). Also, a seaman’s wife and a German owner of a resort in Panglao.

An American woman, a teacher by profession who became a missionary managing an education camp in the north of the island financed by donations to an American church ( go figure which one, their presence is mushrooming in the Philippines). Later, the children’s camp turned out to be a tourist resort. This Born Again preacher was also known as Harrell the Hallelujah because of his frequent religious themes, screaming even during the meetings! Here is the latest on Harrell.

It’s not really that impressive. One wonders what the give and take would be with a mosaic of trade and professions. As I saw it, in a Third World country where buying power is desperately low, such a small pie to share, who was who exactly and what they were there for?

Digging a bit further into the constitution and bylaws of the organization, I discovered this:

OBJECT OF ROTARY The Rotary International Years.

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

• FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
• SECOND: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
• THIRD: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
• FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

The first remark to myself was that they were probably kidding themselves. In the Philippines, hospitals are refusing patients’ discharge and exiting the premises without paying the bill while still in. I have seen bodies decomposed in the hospital’s mortuary because no one of the relatives offered to pay the bill. High ethical standards? Where? When? The Rotary International Years.

Then this came up:

THE FOUR-WAY TEST

The Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. The test has been translated into more than 100 languages, and Rotarians recite it at club meetings:
Of the things we think, say or do

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Mysterious? Secret philosophical, deep-meaning words only the Grand Masters of ancient Babylon can decipher?
Not at all. All it is something to keep you busy with the interpretation. Make your own as fit. If you don’t, it is no big loss to you. Somebody else understood it for you. As long as you paid your dues, you’re fine.

And the little cherry on the pie:

AVENUES OF SERVICE

“We channel our commitment to service at home and abroad through five Avenues of Service, which are the foundation of club activity.”

• Club Service focuses on making clubs strong. A thriving club is anchored by strong relationships and an active membership development plan.
• Vocational Service calls on every Rotarian to work with integrity and contribute their expertise to the problems and needs of society. Learn more in An Introduction to Vocational Service and the Code of Conduct.
• Community Service encourages every Rotarian to find ways to improve the quality of life for people in their communities and to serve the public interest. Learn more in Communities in Action: A Guide to Effective Projects and this Community Service presentation (PPT).
• International Service exemplifies our global reach in promoting peace and understanding. We support this service avenue by sponsoring or volunteering on international projects, seeking partners abroad, and more.
• Youth Service recognizes the importance of empowering youth and young professionals through leadership development programs such as Rotaract, Interact, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and Rotary Youth Exchange.

No matter what I’m reading and seeing, the mystery is deepening, often becoming senseless, I can’t find the real “raison d’être” there, who these members are, how they benefit from the Rotary, how they’re amortizing their $300+ a year total cost of dues.  Certainly not philanthropists, not in the third world anyway. Plenty of reasons to distinguish those practicing in the first world, raising money, that is, for those in the third world recipients of the money. I’ll explain all that in the following entries.

 More on Rotary International fraud and deceits can be found on the links below:
Rotary International Matching Grants for Sale“
Unlike hate crimes that are committed across racial, ethnic, or religious lines, Affinity Fraud targets members of identifiable groups, such as religious or civic organizations and ethnic communities, Read more

Evan ILIADIS – Diaries of a former Rotarian.
Hello and good day to all activists worldwide fighting crooks disguised as philanthropists and good-doers operating within clubs and associations. Evan ILIADIS – Diaries of a former Rotarian. Read more

Rotary Club of Tagbilaran. The trial part 1.
Rotary Club of Tagbilaran. The trial part 1. The Price to pay.  Read More

Rotary International – Christopher Bennetts  President – RCCM Cebu. Crooked business and porn.
While the Rotary Club of Tagbilaran and the Village Aide Program was battling my allegations on donations and Matching Grants fraud, read more