President’s Corner

Dear Fellow Manila Rotarians,

A Blessed Easter to all of you. I hope the Holy Week break has given you time away from your busy schedule to be with family as you reflected on the Almighty’s plan of salvation for all of us and the ultimate sacrifice He has made by dying on the cross.

A week before that, we were treated to an enlightening talk by Rev. Father Dennis Paez, who made us realize how lucky we all are and how we should treat the marginalized of society. After the talk, we were all briefed on the financial aspects of our centennial culminating activities during the brief Townhall Meeting.

Our preparations for our culminating activities for the Centennial Celebration are almost complete. The electronic poster for our Salubong Fiesta on June 20, 2019 is already out and we already have a fixed program for that. We will likewise be featured in the cover page of the June issue of the Philippine Rotary Magazine after our meeting with PDG Chit Lijauco.

“A Legacy of Rotary Service” already has an electronic poster being circulated. In addition, we have sent out a total of 1,148 local invitations and 2,544 foreign invitations. Confirmations of attendance have been gradually increasing. We expect a surge as we move closer to the date of the event.

The top ten Rotary projects selected by the Centennial Awards Screening Committee have been turned over to the panel of judges composed of Ayala Foundation President Ruel Maranan, Zonta International Past President Olivia Ferry, Gawad Kalinga Founder Antonio Meloto and US Ambassador Sung Kim who heads the Board of Judges. The turnover took place last April 11, 2019 where Chair PDG Alex Cureg and I were present.

There has likewise been an increase in the number of attendees from our club in the Centennial Gala Night and thanks to Chair VPE/PAT Hermie Esguerra, pledges of financial support have been pouring in as many of us have realized the importance of celebrating the gains of a hundred years of serving the community.

Our Rotary’s Heart for Little Angels has helped another beneficiary as the person was operated on last April 22, 2019 at the National Children’s Hospital in Quezon City and is now walking. This would not have been possible without the leadership of Rtn. Zdenek Jankovsky.

Our Centennial Commemorative Stamps are still on sale. Please do not miss the opportunity of securing for yourself this once in a lifetime memorabilia. Meanwhile, the names of those who have paid and partially paid the Centennial Seed Fund, the Centennial Donations and the Annual Dues will appear in the BALITA as we endeavor to collect all these since they will go a long way in augmenting our centennial expenses.

Today, our venue shifts to the Makati Shangrila Hotel as we honor our benefactors of our Rotary Club of Manila Educational Assistance Program (REAP) where we have invited school officials of both PLM and PUP and REAP scholars alike in our REAP Appreciation Luncheon while we get enlightened by inspirational speaker Mr. Hassan Younes who will talk about business, academics and personal development.

Without an iota of doubt, all these are colossal undertakings which need the best of efforts in furtherance of Service Above Self. Indeed, great things in Rotary are never done by a single individual, but, by a team of Rotarians, moving together towards a common goal. Under ONE CENTURY, towards ONE MISSION and in furtherance of ONE ROTARY, the best is yet to come. Let us all BE THE INSPIRATION as we embrace the tenets of Rotary in living our everyday lives.