President's Corner

Dear Colleagues in RCM,

As we work in harmony and partnership, let us all all share the burden, divide the tasks and work together as we promote our club, the Rotary Club of Manila. This collaborative work emanates from the Board of Directors, Advisers, Officials of Committees, and our Members. We faced some challenges and difficulties that galvanized us through friendship and respect for one another to succeed and become stronger. Our weekly meetings are getting interesting and educational as we are encouraging new members to share their business expertise and serve as coach/mentor. As an update, Balita is shared to all districts in the country and, especially, to our District 3810 where we are among the 116 Rotary Clubs.

Last Saturday, January 30, 2021, we had around twenty-three (23) members present during our cocktail, dinner and awards night. Our Star Rtn. Martin Romualdez, Businessman and Past Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and presently, Majority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives, volunteered to support the bill filed by Rep. Loren Legarda which is pending with the Special Committee on Reforestation chaired by Rep. Elias Bulut, Jr., entitled, “HB02183: AN ACT PROVIDING FOR URBAN AND COUNTRYSIDE GREENING IN THE PHILIPPINES THROUGH MANDATORY TREE PLANTING AND ADOPTION OF A FOREST SANCTUARY BY PUBLIC SCHOOLS UNDER THE DEPED” and another version in the Senate with a bill initiated by Senate President Tito Sotto, entitled, “SB1292: AN ACT PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN ORDER TO INCREASE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AMONG THE YOUTH, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREOF AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES”. This project is an RCM project INITIATED by IPP Jackie Rodriguez in RY 2019- 2020. House Majority Floor Leader Martin Romualdez will try to reconcile the two versions in the Bicameral Conference Committee for approval by June 2021. We thank, in advance, Star Rtn. Martin Romualdez for taking the cudgels for RCM to make this turn into a law.

Saturday was another blessing as those present promised to increase membership and secure more donations for outreach projects. PDG Vince Carlos and PDG Rudy Bediones volunteered to help convince nearly seventy (70) members to donate US $ 1,000 each for Rotary International to become a Paul Harris Fellow until June of this year. This donation is a responsibility of each and every member of the club. This can be paid in installments of US $ 100 per month for ten (10) months. This program will redound to us for other projects that we have when we get grants from Rotary International. Sometimes, our US $ 1,000 dollars is returned to us in three-folds or more. Thank you so much PDG Vince and PDG Rudy for your initiatives.

With prayer and commitment, RCM will continue reaching greater heights while inculcating the Four (4) Way Test.

PD Nick Locsin invited three Japanese RCM members for a meeting at Ralph’s Pasay Road last February 1, 2021 to see how they can influence some members of the Japanese community to join RCM. We urge our members to be more active and solicit new members. We plan to have two social events this February - one will be hosted by IPP Jackie Rodriguez at Manila Elks Club and the second one, I will be hosting at The Heritage Hotel Manila in the third week of February. We will finalize as soon as possible!

If you have noticed our weekly meetings, members, and guests are rising in attendance. We thank the team of Programs Committee Chairman IPVP Hermie Esguerra and the Star Rotarians who shared their classification talks. This new style is impressive. Members are appreciative and networking among the members are encouraging. Thanks to ASAG/DE/Dir. Albert Alday and his team for the weekly interview feature among the members of the club in the Balita. I believe we could be the best weekly print media of Rotary in the country.

Maraming Salamat!

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