PIDCI treasurer resigns amid fresh rumors of financial troubles in the organization
PIDCI President Prospero Lim and former treasurer Violeta Manarang-McGough who stepped down for health reasons. Photos by Boyet Loverita
A club treasurer resigns, and wild rumors erupt. If your organization is like PIDCI, shrouded in mystery, tales are likely to come out like mushrooms after a rain shower.
“I stepped down due to health reasons. I am not able to fulfill my responsibilities as a board member and treasurer,” declared Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. treasurer Violeta Manarang-McGough, to The FilAm. Her resignation letter was given to President Prospero Lim end of February.
Lim has laughed off the rumors, denying them as he assumes the duties of treasurer. He told The FilAm, “I’m the one handling things right now, checking our savings and checking accounts. I’m assuming the position in acting capacity.”
A psychiatry and geriatric doctor in Staten Island who has been the club’s president for two years now, Lim said PIDCI is currently under audit. “We won’t know our financial status until after the audit.”
Manarang-McGough said, “It is normal and standard procedure for a new treasurer to handle audited reports.”
“Violet wrote me a letter saying she cannot fulfill her obligations,” he said. He was vague about her condition except to say that some women have many different kinds of health issues. The FilAm understands and respects health privacy concerns.
According to him, Manarang-McGough wrote in her letter about the stress that came with her duties as PIDCI treasurer for five years now. “I didn’t know that being treasurer can be very stressful pala,” Lim said.
Lim is eyeing a CPA member of the PIDCI board to be the next treasurer but declined to give his/her name pending board approval.
Pure pageantry at the annual Philippine Independence Day Parade on Madison Avenue.
“Nag-resign si Violet. She gave me a letter formally resigning. I accepted naman,” he said. “What can I do? I cannot force her to continue.”
Amid rumors of financial troubles, such as unpaid ballroom reservation fees, Lim stressed, “PIDCI is fine.” In fact, the club, one of the biggest and oldest in the community which organizes the annual Independence Day Parade down Madison Avenue, was busy preparing for its Grand Marshal Night to honor couple Rod and Elma Castillo as this year’s parade standard bearers. The GM Night happened on March 25.
“We do not know of any financial problems because we are concentrating on our Grand Marshal Night this Saturday,” he said.
As an organization, PIDCI has always been plagued by charges of mishandled finances. Any issue involving money will always gain traction because of PIDCI’s long and colorful history of some officers battling each other in court over unaccounted funds.
An independent source who spoke to The FilAm urged members of the community “not to jump to conclusions.”
At the same time, the source also asked PIDCI to be financially “transparent,” to hire an independent auditor right away and to make sure it is current with its submission of financial statements to the IRS.
“Any report of an anomaly is never good,” the source said.
[…] that funds were missing, the amount believed to be anywhere from $200K to $300K. Its treasurer resigned over health reasons. An audit was conducted but PIDCI has not filed charges against […]