Newspaper Release

At our meeting last Thursday noon of the 100-year-old Manila Rotary Club, the oldest Rotary organization in Asia, we were asked to lead the reading of the Rotary’s “Four Way Test,” traditionally spoken by all members, before the start of the regular weekly meeting of Rotary Clubs around the world.

The “Four Way Test,” of what we, Rotarians, Think, Say or Do in the Rotary Creed include the following: First, “Is it the Truth?”. Second, “Is it Fair to All Concerned?”. Third, “Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendship?” Fourth, “Will it be Beneficial to All Concerned?”

We thought an addition would be relevant to God-fearing Rotarians among Catholics, Protestants, Iglesia Ni Cristo, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and others throughout the world, of course with the exception of non-believers like atheists. After reciting the 4th Test, we then sprang a suggestion for the possible inclusion of a Fifth Test, which we thought would be equally important, if not the most important: “Will it be pleasing to the Lord, our God?” and which perhaps could be considered for adoption by global Rotary.

Manila Rotarian and successful businessman Rudy Bediones pointed out that today there are 873 Rotary Clubs and 24,894 members, who are occasional sources of support for community service projects throughout the Philippines. Our eminent Centennial President Jesus Pineda and active Rotarian-leader former Justice Amado Valdez said they were backing our proposal to bring God into the Rotary Creed and would submit it to Rotary’s global leadership, pioneered then by American Paul Harris, founder of the original US Rotary, for possible international adoption in six continents.

Rotary records show that today some 26,850 Rotary Clubs worldwide have been advancing one basic ideal, the “Ideal of Service.” To us, Manila Rotary Club’s (RCM) most valuable Declaration made in earlier days was: “I shall value success in my vocation as a worthy ambition only when achieved as a result of service to society and as it helps others to be successful; to accept no profit nor distinction which arises from unfair advantage, abuse of priviledge or betrayal of trust…”

The founders of Manila Rotary at the time – American Leon J. Lambert, president; Alfonso Sycip, vice-president; E. E. Elser, secretary; and Walter Beam, treasurer – were the first Rotary officers in January, 1919, following Manila Rotary’s launching by American Rotarian Roger D. Pinneo, then a member of the Rotary Club of Seattle. He sailed to Manila with a commission to assist in the organization of Rotary Clubs in the Far East. The first Rotary Club of Manila had a membership of 38, with an office located in the office of the Benguet Consolidated Mining Co. where further meetings were held.

In 1939, through the invitation of then Rotary International Vice President Carlos P. Romulo, who later became the first Asian president of the UN General Assembly, the Rotary Club of Guam was organized as RCM’s first overseas daughter, a Filipino initiative. However during World War II, under Japanese occupation, all the clubs in the Philippines stopped all formal meetings. The last memorable emergency gathering of RCM was held on the embattled island of Corregidor on May 6, 1942, to induct Gen. Douglas MacArthur, World War II’s greatest general, as honorary member, on the eve of the fall of Bataan.

Today there are some 1.2 million Rotary members in some 35,000 Rotary Clubs throughout the world.

We remember, as a young 19-year-old in Asia’s Asia-owned first news agency, Pan-Asia Newspaper Alliance and as weekly columnist then on Asian affairs of the Philippines Herald, we used to ferry outstanding public speakers from Manila like great journalists, Ambassador to Germany Melchor Aquino and Washington-based media adviser Al Valencia via the old Ferrocarril de Manila trains to address Dagupan City’s Rotary Club, then headed by Pantranco bus transport co-founder Rafael Gonzalez, followed by the subsequent Secretary of Health Francisco Duque. Oh, what we used to do as a young man in the service of Rotary for this went on almost every week for a year on the now defunct Manila-Dagupan railways run. As a prize for their task as guest speakers, and on their return to Manila, we would gift them tokens of Pangasinan’s priceless Dagupan bangus fish to take home, since at the time up to now, there are no honorariums for Rotary guest speakers.