President’s Corner

Dear Fellow Manila Rotarians,

During last Thursday’s general membership luncheon meeting, a promise to make Manila the “go to” place was the theme of Rep. Amado Bagatsing of the Fifth (5th) Congressional District of the City of Manila, who is vying for the mayoralty post of the City of Manila in the upcoming elections in May. The talk of Congressman Bagatsing elicited a lot of reactions from many Manila Rotarians, who engaged him in an animated exchange of ideas and opinions. Representative Bagatsing proposed that, with his plan to improve the conditions in the City of Manila, our Club should consider moving the venue of our regular Thursday luncheon membership meetings back to a venue within the City of Manila.

On news within our Club, the preparations for DISCON 2016 is hitting peak levels, and everyone within our Club is encouraged to do his share in ensuring that DISCON 2016 will be a success. Your DISCON 2016 Committee continues to meet on a weekly basis to update its members on the arrangements for the needed accommodations, venue, booths, and the souvenir program, as the day of reckoning fast approaches. Again, I encourage each and every Manila Rotarian to help in any way one can for us to be able to meet the target revenue collection so that we will be able to cover the expenses for the event.

On news from around the District, yesterday, 10 February 2016, several Manila Rotarians led by DG/PP Obet Pagdanganan, DGND/CoS/PP Rudy Bediones, ISDG/AG/IPP Frank Evaristo (in his capacity as Chairman of the Best Class Presidents), and ICoS/SDG/PP Cesar Ubaldo (in his capacity as Chairman of the Presidents 101) trooped to the Le Parc Event Hall along EDSA in Pasay City to attend the Past Presidents Council Fellowship, where the different groups of past Rotary Club Presidents met to develop closer rapport and relations.

On Tuesday, 9 February 2016, I met with the Presidents of the various Rotary Clubs in Manila (we call ourselves the United Manila Rotary Clubs) to plan our presentation for DISCON 2016 and our contribution for the event. We also mapped out plans for our contribution and participation at the Valentine’s Party organized by our very own DG Obet Pagdanganan for the children and elderly of the Hospicio de San Jose scheduled at 3:00pm this Friday, 12 February 2016. All Manila Rotarians are encouraged to attend this event and actively participate in the effort to uplift the lives of the children and elderly at the Hospicio de San Jose.

Today, we welcome as our Guest of Honor and Speaker, the Hon. Sergio R. Osmeña, III, Senator of the Republic of the Philippines, who will present his advocacies and the various laws he authored, co-authored, or otherwise supported, which have an impact on our economy and on the lives of our countrymen. We also hope to hear from him about his political plans in 2016 and in the future. The Rotary Club of Bagumbayan Manila will join us at this Joint Meeting of Rotary Clubs, which will also serve as a Chinese New Year cum Valentine’s fellowship celebration.

Again, I encourage all Manila Rotarians to actively participate and support all of our Club’s activities, programs, and projects and to submit the name of at least one good recruit for membership in our Club.

Mabuhay and Rotary Club of Manila!