President’s Corner

Last week’s luncheon meeting was virtually HOME IN THE SKY with the big turnout in terms of attendance with Makati West Rotarian Jaime “Jimmy” J. Bautista, President and Chief Operations Officer of Philippine Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, as Guest of Honor and Speaker at a joint meeting between his own club, the Rotary Club of Makati West led by Best Class President Aurelio Paolo “AP” Bartolome, son of our very own Past President Archit Bartolome, and our club, the Rotary Club of Manila, the First in Asia. Truly, breaking bread with younger Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Makati West was a sight to behold as their mentors are who, namely, Rotary International Director Guiller Tumangan, PDG Tony Rufino and PDG Ed Alvarez. During the luncheon, RI Director Guiller Tumangan was the lone Birthday celebrant in attendance where he was presented with the birthday cake and the Happy Birthday Song sung to their hearts’ content by the Rotary Club of Manila World Famous Chorale. Ms. Cielo C. Villaluna, on the other hand, made a gesture of goodwill in behalf of Philippine Airlines as she facilitated my request for two (2) round trip tickets for the Manila-Hong Kong-Manila route which will be raffled off during our club’s 96th Charter Anniversary Celebration which is headed by Committee Chairman VPE/VP Teddy Ocampo and which will take place on June 4, 2015, 12 noon, at the New World Hotel Ballroom. VPE/VP Teddy Ocampo is preparing a program of entertainment with a lady singer and a raffle of valuable prizes aside from the plane tickets as well as a portion honoring the pillars of the Rotary Club of Manila where the highlight will be the parade of Past Presidents who will lead the anniversary toast and the blowing of candles on the anniversary cake. Hence, mark this red letter day on your respective calendars as this promises to be another affair to remember.

On news within our club, our very own Treasurer Chito Tagaysay has donated highly technical books to the school children of our day care center, the residents of our community in Barangay New Washington in Aklan. In addition, he donates the Philippine Almanac every week which our club gives to our Guest of Honor and Speaker. To this gesture, we express to him our sincerest thanks and profound gratitude. Meanwhile, as we near our curtain call for Rotary Year 2014-2015, we eagerly look forward to the formal turnover ceremonies of the following club community service projects in consonance with the main objective of Rotary which is to be of service to the needy, the poor and the sick:

1. The rehabilitation of three (3) classrooms to accommodate 132 grade school children and the school library in the Tabontabon Center School in Leyte through our very own Rtn. Tong Payumo and with the help of Mayor Brendo Gomez at a project cost of FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS (Php 500,000.00).

2. A livelihood project for the families in Capiz and Negros Occidental with a total cost of SEVEN MILLION PESOS (Php 7,000,000.00) under the supervision of the Gawad Kalinga Foundation.

3. The highlight of our term will be the turn over of EIGHTY (80) housing units constructed and supervised by the Gawad Kalinga Foundation broken down as follows, TWENTY (20) houses in Pontevedra, Capiz, THIRTY (30) houses in Cadiz, Negros Occidental and another THIRTY (30) houses in Batad, Iloilo for the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda worth TWELVE MILLION PESOS (Php 12,000,000.00) which was done in cooperation with the Rotary Japan (Gov. Kai).

In connection also with our curtain call for the Rotary Year, our Club Awards Committee chaired by PP Benny Laguesma has convened the committee composed of Club Secretary Albert Alday, PD Alvin Lacambacal, PT Jim Chua and himself to discuss the year end awardees for Rotary Year 2014-2015, the awarding of which will be held during the Valedictory and Year End Awards Luncheon Meeting on June 25, 2015 at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City. On the other hand, we will have the Rotary Club of Manila Annual Tourism Awards Presentation under the stewardship of Dir. Bobby Joseph on our next club luncheon meeting on May 14, 2015 at the New World Makati Hotel where our club will award important personalities whose exemplary performance and vital contribution to the development of Philippine Tourism cannot be undermined. Thus, I urge each one of you to mark this important date on your respective calendars as we give our whole hearted support to this worldwide endeavor by attending this event.

On news around the district, many Rotarians might not be aware that our very own People’s Champ and Pambansang Kamao, Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao is a Rotarian of our district, District 3810, and a Past President of the Rotary Club of Manila 101 where he was a Peace Builder President alongside DGE Obet Pagdanganan. In fact, his club even has a fund-raising project headed by Best Class President Fely Dy with PP Manny’s photo printed in their promotional t-shirt that says “I Got One”. Despite the loss of PP Manny in the Fight of the Century with Floyd Mayweather, Jr., both future hall of famers, via a unanimous decision, he remains a living legend, a hero and an inspiration to the multitude of Filipinos whose lives he has touched. In the hearts and minds of the Filipino people, especially, to his fellow Rotarians who have always been behind him in every fight as he brings honor to our country, we say, “Mabuhay Ka PP Manny!”

Today, we shall have our very own Rtn. Jose Manuel “Babe” G. Romualdez, President and Chief Executive Officer of Stargate Media Corporation, Columnist of The Philippine Star and Chairman of the Journalism Awards Committee as Guest of Honor and Speaker. Let us all give him a warm welcome and lend him our undivided attention as he presents his views and opinions on the 2016 Presidential and National Elections among the burning issues of the day. Hence, let us give the winding up stages of our Rotary Year 2014-2015 one final kick as we participate in all the activities of Rotary.