President’s Corner

Dear Fellow Manila Rotarians,

Last week, while I was out of the country attending to urgent business matters, former Manila Rotarian, Acting Department of Justice Secretary, Emmanuel L. (“Manny”) Caparas, was also unable to attend our regular Thursday luncheon meeting as Guest of Honor and Speaker, as he also had to attend to urgent business matters. I understand that he sent his sincerest apologies around an hour and a half before last Thursday’s luncheon meeting and advised that the President of the Republic of the Philippines called him to an emergency meeting at Malacañan Palace. Due to the circumstances, he did not have enough time to find one among his Undersecretaries to speak at our meeting on his behalf.

I wish to thank and commend PE/VP Teddy Ocampo and Program Moderator Dir. Amading Valdez for managing the situation well by showing the video presentation of our trip to Barangay Hamod, Batad, Iloilo, for the formal turnover of our donation comprised of 30 housing units worth around Php4.5 Million, which we had constructed in cooperation with Gawad Kalinga, to certain residents of Barangay Hamod, Batad, Iloilo, who were victims of Typhoon Yolanda. I would also like to thank PD Jimmie Policarpio, who gave an impromptu fearless analysis of the 2016 political climate and elections at our last Thursday’s luncheon meeting. I am sure that all Manila Rotarians who attended last week’s Thursday luncheon meeting were not only well informed of our Club’s activities, but were also informed of the current political situation existing in our country.

On news within our Club, last 16 April 2016, PP Boy Guevara and his wife, Monette, hosted a Thanksgiving Fellowship at their Ponderosa Leisure Farms estate in Tagaytay for the men of the Rotary Club of Manila and the ladies of the Inner Wheel Club of Manila. Manila Rotarians who were present, aside from host PP Boy, were DG/PP Obet Pagdanganan, DGND/CoS/PP Rudy Bediones, ISDG/AG/IPP Frank Evaristo, PP Archit Bartolome, PP Boy Ampil, Dir. Susing Pineda, Dir. Amading Valdez, PD Jun Hallare, PD Knud Hedeager, PVP Lance Masters, DE/Treasurer Chito Zaldarriaga, Rtn. Nilo Aventura, Rtn. Gunter Matschuck, Rtn. Tong Payumo, and Rtn. Jun Bella.

On news from around the District, ICoS Cesar Ubaldo and IDCoS/ISDG/DE/IPS Albert Alday joined DGE Ernesto Yuyek in Ushiku, Ibaraki, Japan, for the District Conference of Rotary International District 2820 from 15-17 April 2016.

Today, let us welcome our Guest of Honor and Speaker, Ms. Mylene Lising, as we go back in time and delve on the rudiments of the prehistoric times. Ms. Lising will give us an informative and interesting talk on archaeology which, I hope, will not only be interesting to us, but will also stimulate our imagination.

Please continue to actively participate in, and support, all of our Club’s plans, programs, and activities during the remainder of this Rotary Year. Most importantly, please recommend at least one good recruit to beef up our Club’s membership.

Mabuhay ang Rotary Club of Manila!