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The Heritage Library · 1919–2026

107 years of the Club, in its own words and pictures

The Balita as members read it, week by week since 1948. The presidents and guests of honor, the projects and the honors, of Asia’s first Rotary club.

97,496Balita pages
11,945photographs
2,237items catalogued
106presidents
Where to begin New · The Centennial, 2018–2019One hundred years of serviceThe proclamation, the tree planting at Luneta with RI President Barry Rassin, the Centennial Hymn, and the three-day celebration in June 2019.Explore the Centennial →
This week, 31 years agoBalita No. 2667, 19 October 1995Read the issue members were reading this week.Read this issue →This month’s exhibitThe Club and the fight against polioOctober 24 is World Polio Day, and the Balita shows the Rotary Club of Manila at work against polio for more than seventy…Visit the exhibit →
Find a nameIs your family in the Balita?Type a name and see every page it was printed on since 1948.
Ask the archiveAsk about the Club’s historyAnswered from the Club’s records and the Balita, with links to the pages.
Stories from the archive

Moments the Balita recorded

Presidents of the Republic at the Club’s lectern, flood relief, the first street-children’s center, and more. Swipe through, then walk the whole timeline.

The timeline · 190 moments
1919The Rotary Club of Manila received Charter No. 478On the timeline →1948President Elpidio Quirino became an honorary member and addressed the ClubRead the page →1948Aviation Day: the Club met at the Philippine Airlines air fieldRead the page →1955President Ramon Magsaysay accepted the Club's invitation to speak at its anniversary meetingRead the page →1969President Marcos was guest of honor at the Club's 50th anniversary dinnerRead the page →1969Rotary Circle in Malate was formally inauguratedRead the page →1972The Club launched Operation Pakikiramay for victims of the Central Luzon floodsRead the page →1981The Club held the RCM Newsboys Mini-Marathon with more than 400 entriesRead the page →1989The Sagip-Kabataan Center for street children was inauguratedRead the page →1990The Club set up a Tent City in Baguio after the 16 July earthquakeRead the page →2008Rotaryville townhomes in Taguig were turned over to 96 familiesRead the page →2019The Club celebrated its Centennial with a three-day program ending in a galaRead the story →190moments from 1919 to today, decade by decadeWalk the timeline →
Decade by decade

Eleven decades of the Club

All past presidents
1919–1929Foundations and First Convictions10 presidents1929–1939Discipline in an Unsettled World10 presidents1939–1949Silence, War, and Survival7 presidents · 3 Balita volumes1949–1959From Relief to System10 presidents · 9 Balita volumes1959–1969Expansion and Confidence11 presidents1969–1979Service Under Pressure10 presidents · 9 Balita volumes1979–1989Renewal and Relevance10 presidents · 11 Balita volumes1989–1999Global Partnerships, Local Depth10 presidents · 25 Balita volumes1999–2009Scale, Technology and Transition10 presidents · 24 Balita volumes2009–2019Centennial as Continuum10 presidents · 11 Balita volumes2019–2027Resilience in a Fragmented World8 presidents
The reading room

The Rotary Balita, from 1948

Every issue as it was printed, page by page, with the text searchable. The Club’s records before 1948 were burned during the war.

All volumes
1948–49Nos. 599–6231953–54Nos. 724–7481976–77Nos. 1742–17671981–82Nos. 2010–20321989–90The Rotary Balita, 1989–901992–93Nos. 2488–25101995–96Nos. 2652–26992000–01Nos. 2895–29162002–03Nos. 2990–30132005–06Nos. 3110–31242012–13Nos. 2445–36992018–19Nos. 3725–3750TodayRecent issuesThe weekly Balita on this website
Photographs

The Club at work and in fellowship

All 216 albums
17 July 2018 · 351 photosThe District Handover and Induction Ceremonies16 March 2018 · 279 photosDISCON March 16-17, 2018 RD 381019 July 2018 · 240 photosAn Evening with R.I. President Barry Rassin and Lady Esther13 December 2018 · 181 photosRotary Club of Manila Christmas Party 201812 October 2017 · 170 photosRCM German Oktoberfest23 September 2018 · 168 photosAlay Lakad 2018
The video room

The Club on film

All 37 films
June 2019Water is LifeJune 2019Rotary Club of Manila videoJune 2019The history of the Rotary Club of Manila
The trophy room

Honors given and received

Enter the trophy room
The collection

2,237 items in the Club’s library

Catalogued in 2023: bound Balita volumes, anniversary programs, handbooks, conference books, photo albums, plaques and trophies.

Browse the catalogue
Plaques & trophies 1,194Balita 698Photo albums 103Books by others 56Concerts & chorale 28Inaugural programs 27TOWER Awards 23President Fidel V. Ramos 20International 17District conferences 14All 19 categories →

The library is growing: volumes, issues and albums are added from the Club’s archive every week.