President's Corner

Dear Fellow Manila Rotarians,

Last week, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV shared with us his views as to the state of affairs in our political scene, as well as his personal assessment of the leading candidates who are running for the Presidency of our country in the coming elections in May. Senator Trillanes himself is running for the Vice Presidency, the second highest office in the land. He also gave us an insight into the current controversy involving the West Philippine Sea, and shared with us his “inside story” of what really happended during the Manila Peninsula incident, where he played a central role.

On news within our Club, your DISCON 2016 Committee continues to meet on a weekly basis to update the arrangements for the necessary accommodations, hotel function rooms, booths, and exhibits, as well as the relevant souvenir program, for DISCON 2016, as its date fast approaches. Yesterday, I, together with PP/DGND Rudy Bediones, VP/PE Teddy Ocampo, AS Alvin Lacambacal, and Anna Toledo, met with DS Dolly Uanang and AG Vilma Vinluan and the representative of the Manila Hotel for a food tasting exercise and fine tuned the arrangements for DISCON 2016.

For those of you who have not yet registered for the DISCON Conference, please do so immediately. I urge all Manila Rotarians to register, attend, and actively support PP/DG Obet Pagdanganan and our Club (DISCON 2016’s host club), at the most significant gathering of Rotarians within our District during the term of PP/DG Obet Pagdanganan as District Governor. We should show everyone that we are united in expressing our whole-hearted support in this endeavor.

On news from around the District, on 3 March 2016, I joined the other World Class Presidents (“WCP’s”) at a practice session to prepare for the dance number to be presented by the WCP’s at the Governor’s Ball during DISCON 2016. On 5 March 2016, I joined the United Manila WCP’s (i.e., those belonging to the Manila Area) in yet another practice session to prepare for another dance number to be presented by the Manila WCP’s at DISCON 2016.

On that same day, 5 March 2016, PVP Lance Masters, ISDG/IDCC/AG/IPP Frank Evaristo, IDCoS/ISDG/DE/IPS Albert Alday, and ICoS/SDG/PP Cesar Ubaldo attended the District 3810 Assistant Governor and District Team Training Seminar, over which DG/PP Obet Pagdanganan presided at the Bayview Park Hotel in Manila. Two days later, on 7 March 2016, DG/PP Obet Pagdanganan, DGND/CoS/PP Rudy Bediones, and I attended the 9th District 3810 Area Meeting held at the Aristocrat Restaurant along Roxas Boulevard in Manila, where all WCP’s were required to update the body on the progress of the plans and programs that they proposed and presented during the Mid-Year Review held in Baguio a few months ago.

A day later, 8 March 2016, DG/PP Obet Pagdanganan and DGND/CoS/PP Rudy Bediones attended the DISCON 2016 Dance Practice of the District Officers at the Aristocrat Restaurant along Roxas Boulevard in Manila in preparation for their own dance number to be presented at the Governor’s Ball during DISCON 2016.

Today, we welcome as our Guest of Honor and Speaker, Rafael M. Alunan, III, Former Secretary of Interior and Local Government and Former Secretary of Tourism, who will apprise as of his advocacies and his platform of government in his bid for a Senate seat in the coming May elections. I urge all Manila Rotarians to actively engage Raffy Alunan in a lively discussion. I also ask all Manila Rotarians to continue to actively support all of our Club’s programs, projects, and activities during the rest of the Rotary Year. More importantly, I urge each and every one of you to please quickly recommend and propose at least one good recruit as a member of our Club in order to strengthen our Club. Mabuhay ang Rotary Club of Manila!