President’s Corner

Dear Colleagues in RCM,

May the blessings of the Lord shine upon you and your family with abundance, wellness, safety, peace and happiness with Mama Mary at your side.

Let us extend a helping hand to those who are starving and malnourished. At times, it is no longer the struggle of the poor, but, their near end. The breadwinner of the family has long lost his job. They are indebted, sick and seriously in dire need. They need help. We are appealing to all our members to donate to the Feeding Program Fund Drive. Our goal is for each member to donate 9,000 Pesos within the next 9 months. You may pay a one-time check or installments of Php 1,000.00 per month starting October 2020. In order to stretch our donation and make the program more sustainable, we will look for some corporations to co-sponsor with us. All funds will be deposited to the RCManila Foundation, Inc. Your Board will look for a reputable NGO to provide the food for the Feeding Program. Any comments or suggestions to improve this project would be appreciated.

It was very timely that we received a monetary donation of US $3,000 from the Rotary Club of Osaka East and safety equipment from the Rotary Club of Shanghai which we donated to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). As we are asking our sister clubs for help, they will likewise be seeking assistance from us. That is expected and we hope we can support other Rotary Clubs. Meanwhile, we will continuously help PGH in their cerebral palsy and cancer unit. It is the best hospital in the country to help the marginalized of society.

We are elated and deeply moved by the video presentation followed by the open forum regarding Fr. Rocky’s TULOY Foundation. We were able to raise Php 140,000.00 as a start. We are committed to supporting TULOY all year round. We hope to be able to visit the TULOY Foundation when the pandemic subsides.

By the way, I just ended my term of duty as President and Commodore of the Manila Yacht Club (MYC) with flying colors for being the catalyst in Saving Manila Bay. MYC was organized in 1923 wherein a number of the members were RCM members. I have requested to look into the archives to find out who were the officers and members of RCM and MYC. I have proposed to the new Board of MYC for us to have a mutual recognition of our past leaders. At present, we have RCM members who are also MYC members.

We have much to work for towards increasing our membership drive. I, personally, will be bringing in my 3rd sponsored member, who is my eldest son, and 4th sponsored member, another associate in social tourism promoting vegetables, honey and tree planting in Zambales in an Aeta Community. The Board members have committed to bringing in at least fifteen (15) new members this year.

We have reserved a maximum of ninety (90) guests in the biggest ballroom of The Heritage Hotel Manila for our Inaugural of the 2020-2021 Board of Directors and Executive Officers. Please join us in celebrating our new Board. This event will be fully sponsored by Philippine Wine Merchants. This will be our first social event this year with proper social distancing and wearing of face masks. We shall have a quartet band. Cocktails will begin at 5:00 pm so people can go home early (as requested by my wife). We will finalize the date after our Board Meeting on Tuesday, October 13, 2020. Stay tuned!

Your Servant President, Robert “Bobby” Lim Joseph, Jr., President RY 2020-2021 (101st President)