Shooting Straight

Allow me to thank the members of the Rotary Club of Manila led by outgoing president Ebot Tan for bestowing upon this writer an award on Tourism Advocacies during the 12th Tourism Awards 2016 held at the New World Hotel last Thursday noon. Honors were also bestowed to the president of the Philippine STAR Miguel Belmonte as Personality of the Year Print Media category. This is the second award that the Rotary Club of Manila gave this writer. Two years ago, they honored me with the Opinion of the Year Award for Journalism, an honor that I will always treasure in my heart.

Through the years, I have developed good friends who are officers and members of the Rotary Club of Manila. Notable among them is Mr. Robert Lim “Bobby” Joseph, Dean Amado Valdez, PDG Frank Evaristo, DG Obet Pagdaganan, PP Rudy Bediones, former Tourism Secretary Vince Carlos and my Max Soliven connection whom I consider my brothers, Sir Arthur Lopez who was moderator of the event and People Asia’s Babes Romualdez.

Last Thursday’s 12th Tourism Awards had incoming Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Wanda Tulfo Teo as the special guest speaker and she announced to the Rotarians that she had asked Rotarian Bobby Joseph to be tourism consultant pro-bono. Her appearance before the Rotary event was also graced by previous DOT Secretaries and DOT officials led by DG Vince Carlos, Mina Gabor, DG Obet Pagdanganan and retired DOT Region 7 Director Dawnee Roa. Their presence in that Rotary event made it more meaningful.

The following Friday, I was back in Cebu City for the 84th induction ceremonies of the Rotary Club of Cebu (Mother) held at the Artic Hall of the Waterfront Hotel. We witnessed the turnover ceremonies from outgoing president Bernard Vonn Sia to president Billy Chavez. Our special guest speaker was Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara who quite timely gave a stirring valedictory of the 16th Congress. Incoming president Teddy Ocampo of the Rotary Club of Manila also graced our former induction ceremonies after all; the Rotary Club of Manila is our Mother Club at 98-years old, while the Cebu Rotary Club is 84-years old.