Valedictory Address

District Governor Odie Tarriela, IPDG Liza Elorde, DGN Joyce Ambray, RCMDC, Ambassador Bryan Ingram, Rotary Club of Calcutta President Fernando Roychodury, Terri Lau of the Rotary Club of Shanghai and Saumen Ray of the Circle of Centennial Rotary Clubs (CCRC), ladies and gentlemen. I welcome you to this meeting with the Rotary Club of Chiswick and the Rotary Club of Brentford as our newest members of the Circle of Centennial Rotary Clubs (CCRC).

As I stand before you today to express my gratitude and give my valedictory for my year of service to you, I fear that I have yet to learn a language well and deep enough to express and justify my true feelings, emotions and experiences during my very short tenure of service, a year shortened on both sides by the activities of our centennial celebration at the onset and the dreaded corona virus contagion seven (7) months into my term. My dreams of great achievements were unfortunately shattered and cut short, but, nevertheless, I tried to do my very best to serve you, our club, community and country. I am humbled and glad that the output of my work, with your support, has caused me to enhance my membership into the Arch Klump Society.

These few years mark a great distinction in the story of my life, which, measured by months, is in my November years, but, surely, my time with you, my Rotary family, deserves a full chapter to be added to my life story. The intensity of our friendships, the hard work we all put in, humbly, but passionately, will not be forgotten. I stand foursquare behind the Four Way Test and solidly, with Service Above Self. And most of all, I stand with each and every one of you as I extend my heart and my hand to you in peace, love and friendship.

Few recall that on the announced lockdown, RCM did not miss a beat. Seamlessly, we transformed our meetings from live to Zoom. We were the very first club to rise to the occasion by forming a technical committee and starting our meetings via Zoom. Thank you Toby, Chito, Hans and the whole Technical Team.

Our pending laws for clean waters and more trees have continued and so has our ecological education book project, feeding the hungry, our scholarships as well as our caring for children. Thank you Phillip.

We are gratified with the fact that we have a fantastic incoming president who sees and gives value in what we are trying to do and has the vision to continue the good work. I salute this president and I commit to be there for him, completely and totally. That is the Rotary way. We are one family. Rotarians stand heads high.

Unrelentingly, and with enhanced progression, our RCM’s Ambassador of Goodwill Program has connected with over one hundred (100) clubs worldwide. Thank you Vince and Nick. We have expanded our domestic and international network worldwide. RCM also formed the Circle of Centennial Rotary Clubs together with Shanghai and Calcutta. We, RCM, are currently worldwide Chair of this organization composed of many Centennial clubs.

As Rotarians, we have at our disposal the gateways and doorways to fellowship and service to our communities and our country. And through this, we also have the ability to meet each other on different levels. This is where our families meet, where our business endeavors multiply, where our social and political scope magnifies and generally, where we rise to higher levels in our character and in our life. Rotary will find its way to continue its role in the new systems of this world. We will be there. We shall be there. And we must be there. We will continue our service to our communities and we will continue our fellowships.

Today, my valedictory day, is a day for us to recollect the good old days of great fellowship, warm handshakes, live meetings and carefree freedom. But, we are also saddened by the untarnished fact that we are quarantined and imprisoned by a killer virus that will change our country, the world and our way of life, our friendships, our business and our beloved Rotary.

Because of corona, I learned many things. I learned how to live prudently and to be appreciative of things I already have. I learned to miss my friends and appreciate them more. I learned that not all news, good or bad, are true. I learned to appreciate myself more for what I am and what I can achieve. I learned to catch up on things that I still have failed to do. Most of all, I learned to appreciate and miss my freedom, a freedom now taken away and never again to return. They call it the new normal. I call it abnormal and unusual. I saw total proof of the power of nature, the power of God, a power so great, a power we must nurture and care for less it feasts upon us and totally destroys and consumes us.

I’ve learned that in the November years of my life, it’s still not too late to help make ours a better world, uplift the unfortunate, to give a smile to those who have tears in their eyes, to give love to the unloved. And feed to the hungry. Shelter the needy. Teach the unschooled. Because of Rotary, I’ve also learned that at the end of the day, it’s your children and grandchildren that matter most in this life. Train them with the gift of life, of good character that is God-given. Show them how to share a bit of their heart with their fellowmen who need love and care. I have learned that we will be judged, not by our enemies, but, by our God.

I’ve been here long enough to learn that there are many disasters and pandemics in this life but I’ve also learned that we can do something about this in many different ways, in the front lines or behind closed doors. As Rotarians, we are expected to perform for our country and our community. We will. Always.

All my life, I’ve looked for my heroes extraordinary people, people who rise to each and every occasion. I found many of them right here in Rotary. You are my heroes. You are my friends. There was an instance during my term where, because of dire consequences, District Governor Liza requested RCM’s help to save The Rotary Foundation Gala. We had only two (2) weeks. I called upon an RCM Gala celebration hero, Hermie, who agreed to help and came to the rescue. Within a few days, we raised almost P1 Million and delivered the most successful foundation Gala ever in two short weeks! This, of course, with the help of soon to assume District Governor Joyce.

Rotarians, you are amazing. Each and everyone of you. Not only have you shown great character, but, you have shown yourselves to be fantastic Rotarians. I am proud of you. And the communities you helped will never forget you. As a result of this pandemic, we have had to adjust many of our programs, functions and activities. This is so unfortunate. But, we will continue our efforts. I will forever cherish your commitment and our camaraderie.

I have also learned that you can only be a good leader, a good executive, if you have good partners, partners who are committed, sincere and doers, selfless, heroic. Those are you guys. All of you. My champions! The Programs Committee, our World Famous singers, our Foundations, our Ambassadors, our Past Presidents, Technical Committee, Ethics Committee, T.R.E.E.S., Fellowship Committee, Hospicio de San Jose Committee, Clean Waters and directors…. all of you. Every single one of you….thank you! I am so proud of you. Without you, I would have been at the very best, an average President. My gratitude and success goes to you. Gracias hermanos!!

I’ve also learned that it is not necessary to force anyone by the power of your position to do anything he does not believe in. I’ve learned it is better to convince your audience of your objectives, to motivate and to show the way. That was, is, and always will be my way.

With the laws that are being passed through our efforts in the Senate and in Congress, someday, many of our poor will live better lives. There will be an abundance of food and medicine, clean air and pure water. Our skies will be blue. Our birds, butterflies, bees, fish and flowers will live once again because of the Rotary Club of Manila.

I also learned that right is might and that’s the only way that we, as Rotarians, should follow, the right way. I also learned that I had to do my duty as President as I saw fit regardless of any personal agenda for myself or other members of our club. I had to learn the hard way that politics has no business in our club. I’ve also learned that the best is do your best and if that is not good enough, try again. I’ve learned in Rotary that it is important to be generous and kind. I’ve learned that in Rotary, we have a factory for developing memories. Some of the most beautiful memories of my life are here. I’ve learned that in Rotary, we develop many permanent friends. Cherish the moment.

I’ve learned in Rotary that I should love the cancer stricken Children, that I should care for the homeless child, that I should look after the orphans, that I should do my best to educate the young and that I should share the good fortunes that God has given me with those that have less. I’ve learned that Rotary is a highway to happiness and a gateway to friends.

In true friendship, it is not enough to have emptied a brotherly bottle of beer together, to have sat on the same table at Rotary meetings, gone to the same school, to have met frequently at the same café, to have conversed in the street, to have sung the same songs in our chorale, to have worn the same colors, fought the same battles or to have celebrated in victories. Friendship is much deeper than that. Friendship, indeed, is one of the greatest gifts God has given man. It is the union of our greatest feelings; the blending of our hearts like a symphony of songs. It is an undefinable respect and trust we repose in one another, a constant understanding and communication of our minds, and an unremitting anxiety for each others’ companionship. One may call many a “friend” and be still ignorant of that sentiment, that is cooler than passion, warmer than respect, more just and generous than either, a feeling that recognizes a loving kindred spirit in another, keeps that relationship sacred by the wise reserve that is to friendship what the purple bloom is to the grape, and the grape to wine.

I say all this in order to say, loudly, “THANK YOU FRIEND!” I hope that in our life’s travels, hand in hand, we have together helped make this a better Rotary world. Long live the Rotary Club of Manila!

FRIENDSHIP is: Rich and sweet like old wine and champagne, Bright and smooth as the sheen of satin tapestry. Rich and noble as ivory! It is where life has stood and lingered, intimately and long. It is full of joy, tears, happiness and warmth.