Inaugural Speech

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

Good evening!

Last week, my wife Susan and I had fun trying to figure out the number of times I’ve been inducted to office, whether in school, in private or in public positions. The first time was some 56 years ago when I was elected boy mayor while in grade six at Calumpit Elementary School. We counted more than 80 times including tonight. But I consider it very special and a great honor, indeed, to be inducted as the District Governor for District 3810 of Rotary International, the foremost global humanitarian service organization which has been doing good in the world during the past 111 years!

In Rotary, we “Serve Above Self!” Rabindranath Tagore, one of my favorite poets, wrote: “I slept and dreamt that life was joy, I woke up and found that life was service, I acted and behold, service was joy.” Indeed, in Rotary, “service above self” is the greatest source of happiness!

I would therefore like to thank you all very much for honoring us with your presence tonight. No occasion can be happier than celebrating with friends who share the same passion to serve, especially the less fortunate. ((Let me now acknowledge my first Club, the Rotary Club of Calumpit in District 3770, which opened the door of Rotary for me. We have here with us, PDG Manny Punzalan and his wife, PP Sandra.))

I would like to thank my colleagues at RC Manila, the first in Asia, who elected me as Club President three years ago. That paved the way for my unplanned and unexpected election as District Governor Nominee for District 3810. Palakpakan po natin ang Tatay o Lolo Ng mga Rotary Clubs sa buong Asya!

I am also very grateful to my classmates and to the Peace Builder Team of 2012-2013 for bestowing their trust in me to lead our District. Please give a round of applause to the Peace Builder Team in 2012-2013, led by our Governor Maeng Mercado. MARAMING SALAMAT po sa malaking karangalang ito.

Nais ko rin pong ipaabot ang aking taus-pusong pasasalamat sa ating host club na pinarangalan bilang most outstanding rookie club this year ng District 3810, Ang Rotary Club of Pasay Centro, sa pangunguna ng aking kaklase, Charter President and District Secretary Dolly Uanang, at ni World Class President Abby Dizon. Let’s give RC Pasay Centro a big round of applause!

The last three years of my active involvement in our District has enabled me to truly appreciate the greatness of Rotary International. I’ve had much satisfaction taking part in giving aid to the unfortunate victims of Habagat flooding and Typhoon Yolanda. I was also with my Peace Builder Classmates who brought some basic necessities to the Mangyans in Mindoro who trekked 5 kilometers of muddy road just to meet us. I have met the ever ready fire brigade of RC Rajah Sulayman, the children with hydrocephalus being helped by RC Sampaloc. The Dugong Dugtong Buhay project of RC Pasay Centro, the hundreds of street children being taken care of by Tuloy sa Don Bosco Foundation, and the orphans at Hospicio de San Jose and Asilo de San Vicente being supported by RC Manila for many decades now. Just look around you and you will likely see Rotarians helping the poor and needy, so I’ll spare you from further details.

However, I’ll be remiss if I don’t mention the valiant effort being waged in the global stage by Rotary International, to eradicate the dreaded Polio virus. Pioneered in the Philippines some 30 years ago, when it was commonplace to see polio victims unable to develop their full potentials, there are today only three more countries that have yet to be declared polio-free, namely Pakistan, Afganishtan and Nigeria. The threat remains as the polio virus mutates and can easily be spread. But with your support, the polio virus will be totally eradicated from the face of the earth by 2018! Incidentally, for every dollar we contribute, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gives twice as much counterpart.

Rotary’s incredible achievements are too numerous to count. Yet, we should not bask in past glories nor rest on our laurels. Neither should we be deterred nor discouraged by temporary failures. But we must equip ourselves to successfully hurdle the three major challenges facing us.

First of all: We must grow our organization. As PRIP Richard Evans said, “Growth is the only evidence of life.” In fact, anything that stops growing stagnates, and everything that stagnates, eventually dies. Rotary is doing too many good things to the world which must be sustained for the many centuries to come. Another truism is that we cannot give what we don’t have. Membership growth is therefore a condition sine qua non, if Rotary were to continue to achieve our mission.

Second of all; We must promote Teamwork and strengthen our linkage with similarly oriented institutions. Author Phil Condit wrote, “None of us is as smart nor as good as all of us.” And as my favorite Quaker proverb put it: “Thee lift me and I lift thee; and we shall ascend together.”

Thirdly, we must prioritize the problems and optimize use of our limited resources. Obviously, Rotary cannot be a panacea to all of society’s ills! We can only do so much.

RI President Ravi has already clearly defined our strategic priorities and goals including the presidential citation. He has also announced this year’s inspiring Theme, BE A GIFT TO THE WORLD! Following the trend set by his two predecessors who respectively named their Teams as First Class and Best Class, President Ravi not to be outdone, fondly calls his Team, the World Class Team. That is OUR TEAM.

Our District Goal has twelve items that define each priority area. But our World Class Team has agreed to simplify and sum it up in ten words! May I propose to our World Class Team that we share our District Goal with our friends? World Class Team, HANDA NA BA KAYO? DISTRICT 3-8-1-ZERO, NÚMERO UNO. WORLD CLASS TEAM: HANDOG SA MUNDO! Minsan pa kaya, MAS MALAKAS para MARINIG sa Chicago! DISTRICT 3-8-1-ZERO: NÚMERO UNO; WORLD CLASS TEAM: HANDOG SA MUNDO!!!

Palakpakan din po natin ang World Class Team Ng D 3810. Huwag kayo’ng mag-alala mga kasama, kahit naririto ang taga ibang Distrito. May usapan na kami ng mga kaklase ko! Kung sino ang may Induction, Siya ang bida! Kahapon D3830, bukas D3770, sa isang Linggo, iba naman. Pero ngayong gabi ang BIDA AY ANG DISTRICT 3810! Tayo ang NUMERO UNO!

At this juncture, I would like to congratulate the Best Class Team led by my dear friend District Governor Edmond Aguilar for their outstanding achievements this year! The total number of Clubs in our District has reached 100 for the first time, with more than fifteen (15) per cent increase in membership as of today. That makes us number four overall. Our total TRF contribution of USD320,000 is the highest in five (5) years. Their service and fellowship projects are too numerous to mention. Bigyan po natin ng masigabong Palakpakan si DG Edmond at ang District 3810 Best Class Team! What the Best Class Team has attained is certainly, a tough act to follow! But we thank them because now, we have the advantage of starting at a higher plane to achieve our goal to make District 3810 Número Uno!

Besides, we have another advantage over the Best Class Team. Remember, next year 2016 is a LEAP YEAR! THAT GIVES US EXACTLY ONE DAY AND ONE SECOND LONGER TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL! So my dear Teammates, to claim lack of time as an excuse not to accomplish our goals, is totally not acceptable.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think you will agree with me that for RY 2015-2016, RIPE Ravi could not have chosen a more appropriate Theme! BE A GIFT TO THE WORLD! In his inaugural speech in San Diego last January, President Ravi narrated why he chose this theme. When he was about eleven years old, his beloved mother contracted polio. She was helped by Rotarian friends of his late father and his Mom was saved. Inspired by that experience, Ravi resolved to work hard, succeed in business which he did, and eventually share his blessings with the less fortunate. Having been gifted with so much, President Ravi is happily sharing his gifts to the world, and influencing others to do likewise.

We Rotarians, are among the most fortunate people in the world! To belong in Rotary, one has to be a leader in his or her field of endeavor, whether in business, profession or in the community. Because Rotarians share their time, talents or treasure, some more than others, Rotary has been able to do good in the world for one century, one decade and one year. This year’s Rotary theme will ensure that this great tradition shall continue for the next century and beyond. BE A GIFT TO THE WORLD!!!

But has it ever occurred to you my dear friends that instead of giving, we could have been receiving gifts from others? I remember what my father used to say, which I would like to paraphrase now. The circumstances of our birth are purely providential. We could have been among the street children in Payatas or Hospicio de San Jose? Or one of the wage earners barely able to support their families. But God is so good to all of us! He has kindly gifted us with good health, good education, successful careers in business or profession, caring families and some loyal friends. He placed us in positions to be of service to the less fortunate. It is always good to remind ourselves about what the good book says, “To whom much is given, much is expected in return.” My fervent prayer is for the Lord to shower us with more blessings so that we can become greater blessings to others and wonderful gifts to the world!

Ladies and gentlemen, there are so many people out there who need our help! As mentioned by our guest of honor, more than fifty million Filipinos rate themselves poor according to the survey released by SWS a few days ago. Let us therefore be relentless in delivering services based on the six areas of focus. Maternal health and childcare, disease prevention and treatment, basic education and literacy, peace and conflict resolution, economic and community development, and water and sanitation.

Additionally, I would like to invite you to support a campaign that is very close to my heart. Let us promote road safety! What do fast and furious actor Paul Walker, UP Professor Chit Santillan, Actor Jay Ilagan and chemist Reynaldo dela Cruz have in common? They all perished in road crashes! May they rest in peace. Much is said about dengue, tuberculosis, HIV AIDS, or MERS CoV. But the biggest killer of people 29 years and younger is road crashes. UN estimates that as many as 500 people die in road crashes everyday. In the year 2007 alone according to the United Nations statistics, 50 Million people were injured and 1.3 Million people were killed due to road crashes. One of them was our only son Raymond who perished while avoiding a tricycle without tail light on the fast lane of an unlit portion of MacArthur Highway in Malolos. The two boys riding the tricycle were unhurt but Raymond in saving them, lost his own life.

I’ll never forget the most agonizing twelve hours of my life that fateful Sunday morning on January 21, 2007. Upon receiving the call at around 3:30 am, I rushed to Malolos. I stayed with my son, praying, pleading even bargaining with the Lord just for him to live. But that was not meant to be. He passed on at 3:30 o’clock that same afternoon. I believe that Raymond is in heaven, joining us in prayer that no one among us will ever experience the pain that his Mom and I have gone through, and still suffer to this date, albeit to a lesser degree. May I therefore earnestly invite you all to join us in promoting road safety! Every effort you exert to educate a child, put up proper road signs, have a pedestrian lane painted, or get our government officials to make our roads and vehicles safer, will be greatly appreciated.

We, Rotarians are generally a happy lot! We like fellowships. We like taking pictures as we serve. Perhaps the most quoted expression in Rotary gatherings is “One more picture, please!” Personally, I’ve had more pictures taken of myself during the last three years than in the first 65 years of my life! I am reminded of our Peace Builder Classmate, PBP Pen Albaran who made a parody of the Rotary motto, saying “PICTURE ABOVE SELF.” But the question is, when we are but a picture in Facebook, in Viber or a mere picture in the wall, what legacy would we have left behind!

Noted author Stephen Covey quoting an anonymous source wrote, “One hundred years from now, it will not matter what car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in my bank account, nor what my clothes looked like. But the world may be a little bit better, because I was important in the life of a child.” That my dear friends is the great opportunity that this great and noble organization, Rotary International is offering us. To leave a legacy of compassionate service to the needy and the less fortunate. Let us not miss this chance and regret later.

In closing my dear friends, let me reiterate to you the first in our twelve point District Goals: HAVE A MOST ENJOYABLE ROTARY YEAR OF SERVICE AND FELLOWSHIP! LET US ALL ENJOY ROTARY! After all as Norman Vincent Peale said: “Nothing worthwhile was ever accomplished by someone who did not enjoy doing what he did” MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, LET US ENJOY BEING WORTHY GIFTS TO THE WORLD!

MABUHAY ANG ROTARY! MABUHAY KAYO AT MARAMING SALAMAT PO!!!