Rotary Club Manila row reaches Rotary International

MANILA, Philippines — The row and power play within the Rotary Club of Manila has caught the attention of Rotary International.

In a letter to Rotary Club District Governor Joyce Ambray, Rotary International Coordinator Club and District Support Mary Jayne Desmond said she read the story by The Philippine STAR about a power play that has been brewing in the Philippine Rotary chapter.

“Dear DG Joyce,” Desmond wrote. “The Philippine Star article Rotary Club of Manila wracked by power play was brought to our attention. It would be appreciated if you could let us know what you know about the disagreement among the RC of Manila leaders and what you have done or are planning to do regarding this.”

“Your prompt attention to this matter would be appreciated,” Desmond stressed.

Last Wednesday, a source told The STAR that it seems the leadership intramurals in the club have become a concern of the Rotary International office in Australia, which is nearest to the Philippines.

“It only means that this is something new that they encountered, the behavior in the Rotary,” the source said.

The STAR broke the story about a “brewing power play” in the club due to issues on the application of members ahead of the term of elected president Rafael Alunan III, who was voted to replace the current Rotary Club of Manila (RCM) president Herminio Esguerra.

Alunan, who has served as tourism secretary to the late president Cory Aquino and as interior and local government secretary to the late president Fidel Ramos, had complained about the rejection of members he wanted to get into the Rotary.

Sources called out Alunan for writing to RCM membership committee chairperson Fausto Preysler about the rejection even though the former was not yet president of the RCM.

“While we all agree that club unity, stability and harmony are paramount and essential, issues regarding the Membership Committee have arisen… Prospective members are treated like ‘job applicants’ in an unbecoming manner that impinges on a person’s dignity,” Alunan said in the letter.

In response to Alunan’s letter, Preysler, Costa Rica’s honorary consul in Manila and whose family runs Smith Bell & Company Inc., said the allegations that have reached Alunan were “obviously coming from a fellow member or members, whose candidate has been rejected.”

“As a committee, we take our responsibility very seriously and vet each and every candidate as carefully as possible. We are definitely not a ‘kingdom unto itself’!” Preysler said, as he vouched for the vetting of applicants.

A source said Alunan’s letter “sets a bad precedent for an incoming president” of RCM, the mother Rotary Club in the country founded in 1919 when it became the first Rotary club in Asia.

“The issue here is that the group of Alunan is not happy with the membership committee headed by Fausto Preysler, because they were not accepted. They were Raffy Alunan’s candidates for membership. They fall below the membership criteria of RCM,” the source said.

“Alunan is new to the Rotary. The Rotary Club of Manila is 104 years old,” the source added of Alunan, who has not replied to The STAR’s requests for comment.