President's Corner

Dear Fellow Manila Rotarians,

Last week, incoming Presidential Spokesman, Atty. Salvador Panelo, shared his time with us as our Guest of Honor and Speaker and, as expected, gave us a glimpse of how the incoming Duterte administration will be running our national government. He provided some insights into the personality of incoming President Rodrigo R. Duterte, as well as his own position on important issues that will be confronting our national government.

On news within our Club, our beloved PS Justin Ortiz, Sr., who many Manila Rotarians considered a dear friend, passed away at 6:00pm on Sunday, 12 June 2016, at the age of 86. A group of Manila Rotarians, including members of the World Famous Chorale, accompanied me on Tuesday, 14 June 2016, at necrological services that we conducted for PS Justin at the St. James the Great Parish in Ayala Alabang Village. We presented PS Justin’s RCM badge to Tona, his wife, and to his son, Tito Ortiz, a fellow Manila Rotarian, after the 7:00pm mass. Let us all pray for the eternal repose of PS Justin’s soul. We will surely miss him.

I mentioned during the necrological services that I noted that PS Justin had a steadfast advocacy for the upliftment of the lives of poor and impoverished children, including those housed at the Hospicio de San Jose, and that he would have been very happy to hear that, while we were in Seoul, Korea, attending the Rotary International Convention this year, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with our sister club, the Rotary Club of Osaka East, witnessed by another sister club, the Rotary Club of Seoul Muak, which formalized and documented the allocation of US$11,500, which the Rotary Club of Osaka East contributed, to help fund a joint project with our Club to install solar energy facilities at the Hospicio de San Jose. Justin would have also been very happy to know that the Rotary Club of Osaka East will be giving going another US$3,000 shortly for use by our Club in similar worthwhile projects.

On another matter, I wish to reiterate my appeal to all Manila Rotarians to register for the forthcoming 2016 Handover Ceremonies, which will be held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Hotel Manila in Pasay City on 1 July 2016. A mass will be celebrated 3:00pm. The handover ceremonies proper will begin at 5:30pm. The attendance fee is set at P1,000.00. During this event, our very own DG/PP Obet Pagdanganan will turn over the mantle of leadership of District 3810 to DGE Ernesto Yuyek. Also during this event, COS/PP/DGND Rudy Bediones will be elevated to the position of District Governor Nominee. Let us all show our support by attending the event.

On news from around the District, last 11 June 2016, DG/PP Obet Pagdanganan, DGND/CoS/PP Rudy Bediones, and PVP Lance Masters attended the Membership Development Seminar hosted by the Rotary Club of Bagumbayan Manila. Later that day, DG/PP Obet Pagdanganan, DGND/CoS/PP Rudy Bediones, ICoS/SDG/PP Cesar Ubaldo, and IDCoS/ISDG/DE/IPS Albert Alday attended the 8th Charter Anniversary of the Rotary Club of Pasay Southeast at the Social Hall of the Philippine Navy Officers’ Club in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

Two days later, on 13 June 2016, DG/PP Obet Pagdanganan, DGND/CoS/PP Rudy Bediones, and PDG Vince Carlos attended the meeting of the District 3810 Council of Governors at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan. A day after, on 14 June 2016, DG/PP Obet Pagdanganan, DGND/CoS/PP Rudy Bediones, ICoS/SDG/PP Cesar Ubaldo, IDCoS/ISDG/DE/IPS Albert Alday, and PE/VP Teddy Ocampo attended the 6th Handover and Induction Ceremonies of the Rotary Club of Manila Kalaw at the Greenside Dining Room of the Villamor Golf Club in the Villamor Airbase, Pasay City.

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, we still have some time before the end of this Rotary Year to beef up our Club’s membership. Please recommend, as soon as possible, at least one new recruit for the consideration of our Membership and Classification Committee.

Mabuhay ang Rotary Club of Manila!