Valedictory Message

The days are growing shorter and so too is the time we spend in leading this historic club to greater heights. Our public image has soared and so too are the service projects that have made Asia’s First Rotary Club what it is today. As we redefine our existence as a force to reckon with in the district, we find new opportunities and discover resilience in the prestige we carry as an avenue of service to the nation and beyond. This is our covenant to the community we serve. This is our resolve to take up the plight of the marginalized and the underprivileged.

We opened the year that was with the hope of rekindling the iconic light we have so painstakingly kept throughout the years of our glorious existence as the foremost bastion of Rotary in Asia. With sheer courage and renewed vigor, we found new meaning and active participation in district affairs. The nobility we bring as Manila Rotarians which has often been mistaken as a wall of exclusivity to a unique breed of men whose social strata has made them the movers and shakers of Philippine society is now perceived as a source of inspiration for the many clubs within our district that find history in our own existence.

Inasmuch as we extended our limbs to our brothers and sisters in the family of Rotary we have called our own, so too are the fellowships we forge from beyond our confines and within our ranks in the spirit of fun, camaraderie and congeniality. Defying the stark realities of advancing age, we danced to the music of yesteryears and found a home in the old school bantering of our youth while savoring our favorite delicacies amid drinks that have made us one.

With the help of our offshore brethren in Rotary we found ways of spreading our wings to communities within the archipelago ravaged by nature’s wrath a year ago and extended our hands towards restoring their normal way of life through livelihood opportunities aimed at eradicating mendicancy and promoting self sufficiency.

Modesty aside, we made our presence felt on air, in social media and in print with the aim of informing the public of what we do in the name of “Service Above Self”. Public image at its best could not have gone this far without the collective efforts of my fellow Manila Rotarians.

With meaningful speakers gracing our weekly luncheons, our thirst for knowledge through an engaging public forum could never be quenched to say the least. Club meetings, therefore, were certainly clandestine fellowships to look forward to beyond the fraternal handshake we usually extended. And in adding spice to an already colorful Thursday encounter, the weekly club bulletin became a showcase of Manila Rotarians in action with light moments in between pages to strike the needed homeostatic balance to perk up an otherwise busy week for every Manila Rotarian.

Basic Education and Literacy as well as Water and Sanitation found a home in the hearts of Manila Rotary. Never before has the world of Rotary been so endeared to the Manila Rotarian as it is now and so too will it linger as the road to the centennial draws near. In my quiet and humble ways, my simple wish was to “Light Up Rotary” and bring the world of Rotary closer to my fellow Manila Rotarians in a way that will bring out the best in each and every one of us.

Three hundred and sixty-five days, hence, I stand before each and every one of you, the rest of the district and the family of Rotary all throughout the world with my head up high as my service to my fellowmen has now become full circle with my humble contribution of making our world a better place. My leadership in Manila Rotary may have concluded but my story of selfless service has just begun and the rest is a continuing saga whose end we will not see but whose achievements will remain a living testimonial of the success of Rotary in Philippine shores.

Thank you my fellow Manila Rotarians, the Board, the committee leadership our Secretariat, my Ann Vicky, my children and grandchildren for your unwavering support that has allowed us to successfully complete our commitment to Light Up Rotary!