Presidents' Corner

Dear Fellow Manila Rotarians,

Last week, we held a successful combination of having an enlightening talk by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on National Security as well as the Military Situation in our country while staging the Valedictory and Club Awards of my predecessor, IPP Jimmie Policarpio. During that meeting, many of our outstanding Rotarians were recognized for a job well done last Rotary year which led to our bagging the Overall Most Outstanding Club and Overall Most Outstanding Club President last Rotary Year 2017-2018. On this note, I congratulate all the outstanding Rotarian awardees led by Director Albert Alday who was recognized as Rotarian of the Year. Indeed, great things in Rotary are done not by one individual, but, by a team of Rotarians working together towards a common goal. Likewise, I thank IPP Jimmie for his strides in a Rotary year that was as well as the Club Awards Committee led by Chairman Hermie Esguerra for carefully selecting deserving Manila Rotarians who have made their marks last Rotary year.

After our weekly luncheon meeting, the Board of Directors for RY 2018-2019 held its First Regular Meeting where important matters were discussed. On the other hand, we were treated to an evening of music and dancing at our Centennial Fellowship Kick-off at the Salvatorre Roofdeck, Pacific Star Building in Makati City last July 26, 2018. Amid delectable cocktails, Manila Rotarians present seized the opportunity to rekindle ties with each other, thereby making the evening, an affair to remember. Our deepest gratitude to Chair PAT Hermie Esguerra, PD Pepo Nuñez and PT Lito Sibayan for hosting this fun-filled fellowship which made our centennial kick-off, a most talked about event.

While we engage in fellowship and serious talks of interest, let us not forget the service projects that have defined our existence as every life we touch in Rotary is our legacy. I exhort everyone to be engaged in our projects as we make this centennial a meaningful journey in Service Above Self. In this regard, I have met with our Service Projects Steering Committee last July 30, 2018 to see to it that these projects are properly implemented.

Today, we shift to a topic of relevance to the changing times as we focus on the rocky road to a rights-based mental health legislation and its implications with renowned psychiatrist, Dr. June Pagaduan-Lopez, providing us with what we need to know about this topic which has recently excited interest among our people. For this, a panel of medical experts from our club has been created to help us understand its complexities.

In ONE CENTURY ONE MISSION ONE ROTARY, I remain.