Ex-PIDCI President Fe Martinez denies allegations of mishandling of funds, missing cash

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Martinez (left) with OSM publisher editor Marivir Montebon. The FilAm Photos

Martinez (left) with OSM publisher editor Marivir Montebon. The FilAm Photos

By Cristina DC Pastor & Marivir R. Montebon

On October 6, the day of the PIDCI elections, we ran into Fe Martinez, the four-term president of PIDCI inside the Dahon Wellness polling center in Queens. We asked if we could do an interview with her, possibly after she has cast her ballot.

To our surprise, she said yes, and that she’d like to speak with us as well. She said she would like to clarify our series of articles, especially the part that says that she is signing checks even if she was no longer president of the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. “It’s in your story,” she said, pointing to Cristina.

We said our series made no such claim. It is possible, we said, it was one of several comments made by readers in reaction to our articles.

To prove her claim, she took out her phone, vigorously scrolled up and down to look for the link. As she was doing this, we had this conversation:

Question: What do you know about the missing money in PIDCI?
Fe Martinez: I do not know anything. What I know is we had independent auditors. We paid them $5K. Our finances are all audited. As president, I am hands off all the checks, all the money.

Martinez registers to vote at Comelec table.

Martinez registers to vote at Comelec table.

Q: The beauty queens (Ruth Sityar, Rosita Richman, and Joji Rafael) said they gave money but their contributions were not properly reflected in the ledger which PIDCI released to the petitioners upon the stipulation of the Supreme Court. What is your process like?
FM: This is how we do it. They draw lots. We call their mobile number. One by one they go to the table of the person assigned to them, give their names, their cash, their checks, the name of their sponsors, how much ads they solicited, then kuwentado na. Everything is put in their own transparent box. I don’t know what they’re talking about.

FM: Where do you get your information?
Q: They’re from financial statements for the years 2013, 2014, and 2015 — during your terms — prepared by PIDCI and submitted to petitioners as required by the Court. They came from PIDCI.

Q: Do you support the filing of charges against your former treasurer?
FM: I do not have any knowledge of any missing money. During my time, we did charity work, we donated $1.5 million worth of medicine to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. We sent 2 plane-loads of medicine. We donated $10K to ConGen Mario de Leon’s project. Everybody is happy.

Q: Why did you not know about the missing funds or that the Form 990 had not been filed, hence the loss of the 501 c 3 status?
FM: She presented herself very well. She’s very hardworking. She read her reports at board meetings. We would go home late, 2 a.m., 3 a.m. She’s really good, that I would recommend her to anyone (looking for an accountant).

Q: So you are saying that she deceived the entire board?
FM: As president, I cannot micromanage everyone. They have their own responsibilities in their programs.

Q: Do you think a case should be filed?
FM: If it is found out that she is responsible, why not? She is not my friend.

It was a low-turnout election. Only 34 out of 101 registered member organizations voted. Below, the results.

It was a low-turnout election. Only 34 out of 101 registered member organizations voted. Below, the results.

results

Q: How come Doc Pros (her successor Dr. Prospero Lim) did not have access to bank accounts?
FM: I don’t know. After my term expired, we turned over everything to them. I’m hands off, that’s why I do not know why they’re saying I was signing checks after my term. That is not true.

Q: So you did not, as some alleged, make money off PIDCI when you were president?
FM: My God! Ako pa abonado. I spent my own money on PIDCI. I once issued a $20,000 check for an event. Akong nag-aabono. Not true. They’re all gossip, not facts.

Q: Are you still working…as a nurse?
FM: Yes. I have an assisted living facility Merriam Manor House in Newton, New Jersey. It’s 34 beds. It’s nice, let me show you. (Calls up images of Merriam on her phone).

Q: Don’t you have two?
FM: There’s another one in Pennsylvania – Galeton Personal Care – but that’s in partnership with others.

Q: So why do you think has Juliet Payabyab filed a case against PIDCI?
FM: I don’t know what her motivation is. May pinagsamahan kami, we were both president in 1998. She was president of PACEC and I was president of FPS. She even gave me an award.
There is this organization. They held a raffle where the prize was a car. Each ticket was $100, we bought five, so $500. But there was no raffle, no car. We were asking, where’s the car? (NOTE: Fe shared this anecdote as if to point out there are organizations conducting shady projects but only PIDCI has become the favorite target of attacks.)

© The FilAm 2018



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