Rotary Friendship Exchange at Herma Farms

Most of our readers will remember meeting the ten Rotarians from Rotary District 5950 in Minnesota, visiting our District 3810 under “The Rotary Friendship Exchange Program” (RFE). Many of us met them when they attended our regular meeting, or at the District Conference. However, you might not know very much about the exchange program itself.

RFE was designed to provide a means through which Rotarians from one part of the world can experience life in another country or culture. Its goal is to advance international understanding and goodwill through person-to-person connections across national boundaries. The Philippines benefits greatly from these Exchanges, because the visitors have experiences here that often later develop into collaborating in Rotary Global Grants here.

There are two types of Rotary Friendship Exchanges. The first is the “Visitor Program” in which individual Rotarians, often accompanied by family members, spend a few days in a Rotarian home in another country. The second is the “Team Program” in which Rotarians, often couples, typically ten to twelve in number, visit several communities in the host district for up to four weeks. The number of persons on the team and the length of stay are flexible; the districts involved agreeing on those details before the exchange occurs. Districts are also encouraged to arrange univocational Visitor and Team exchanges, those in which host and guest Rotarians share the same occupation. We sometimes do that on medical/dental missions.

All RFE programs are coordinated by district Friendship Exchange committees and carried out at no expense to Rotary International; in other words, the cooperating districts, the hosts and participants bear all of the expenses. The Team Program operates on a district level, so participants usually stay with host families or in other housing as arranged by and agreed to by the Districts and participants. Participating districts appoint a Friendship Exchange District Chairperson who coordinates the program. In our district, this year that person is FCP Lolit Anahaw from RC of Carmona, Cavite. Lolit coordinated a month long itinerary for the visitors.

One of the most interesting and fun parts of their entire exchange trip was an invitation by our own Rtn. Hermie Esguerra for an Appreciation Dinner and visit to his fantastic “Herma Farm and Horse Ranch” in Lipa, Batangas. Hermie very generously hosted the group and invited some of the district officers plus a few of our own members to share in a horse ranch experience on last April 8. It was without compare, including a tour of his approximately 160-hectare farm and its specialized facilities. In addition to his other business interests, Hermie has developed what has become the largest herd of quarter horses (about 200!) in the country, with horses racing around the world. The environment that he has created there reminds me of the finest that I have only seen before in Kentucky! The highlight of the tour was an (x-rated?) live stallion breeding demonstration, much to the shrieking delight of his guests.

Hermie hosted a phenomenal buffet prepared by his own chef, featuring no fewer than four kinds of lechon, the biggest paella imaginable, the best pesto pasta I have had in ten years, and too many additional delicious dishes to enumerate. He also had an open bar, including soft drinks and fresh buko for the many of us who do not drink alcoholic beverages. After eating ourselves silly, Hermie's live band belted out everyone's favorites from the Fifties through the Nineties, with singing and dancing until ten. Hermie even had hired our favorite Dance Instructor to help the guests enjoy line-dancing, Filipino style. All of that was held in his personally designed party pavilion, which was filled just about to the max. The RFE delegation from Minnesota were then treated to a night in Hermie's ranch bunkhouse before heading out in the morning to their next destination.

Jackie Rodriguez arrived quite late, as it had been his intention to bring the Governor of Batangas Province, but of course once it was clear that there was an earthquake situation in Batangas, the Governor had to go there instead. Pictured beside Jack is his lovely granddaughter, who is a semi-finalist in the Binibining Pilipinas this year. We all should thank Hermie “big-time” for his exemplary generosity and for giving a great example of that world-famous Filipino hospitality to our international visitors.