President's Corner

Greetings Fellow Rotarians!

We had a very interesting Classification Talk last week given by our STAR Rtn. Rolando Hortaleza, Chairman and CEO of the Hortaleza Group of Companies. Of course, the awarding of our very own Past Vice President, Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the United States of America Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez, was followed by some interesting Q & A mostly on the status of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

We have had a follow through meeting for the TOWER Awards Program chaired by PP Susing Pineda (Centennial President) last Tuesday, March 15, 2022, to discuss further progress of the programs in conjunction with PMAP.

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors for RY 2021-2022 was also held last Tuesday, March 15, 2022 and among others, the Board concurred with the processing of new candidates for membership, namely Mr. Andre Kahn and Mr. Michael Raymond Gonzales, both endorsed by DDCC/IPP Bobby Joseph. Additionally, the Board also approved the Membership Committee’s recommendation to bring into our fold Atty. Jose Paolo A. Magpale, SVP of BDO Unibank, as proposed by PVP Fausto Preysler.

There is a call to join the DISCON slated for Apr 22-23, 2022 to be held at the OKADA Manila, Parañaque City. Registration fee is as follows: Early Bird (March 5-31, 2022) – Php 5,800 per pax, (April 1-15, 2022) – Php 6,400 per pax, (April 16-20, 2022) – Php 7,000 per pax.

Recently, RCManila Foundation, Inc. and Rotary Club of Manila PE/PVP Hermie Esguerra was in Subic to inspect the three (3) fire trucks donated by Rotary International District 2820 of Japan. He requested DGE Joyce Ambray to allocate two (2) units to the Rotary Club of Manila. These fire trucks will then be donated by the Rotary Club of Manila to the most needy LGUs!

Kudos to RCManila Foundation, Inc. and Rotary Club of Manila PE/PVP Hermie Esguerra for the new accreditation of PCNC for the RCManila Foundation, Inc. Not only did we get another year’s extension, but three (3) full years.

As the war in Ukraine continues to wreak havoc amongst its citizenry, the rest of the globe is not spared from this very disruptive situation. The impact on fuel prices and, eventually, everything that requires mobility will not be spared from this situation. Today, we will be hearing from no less than the Secretary of the Department of Energy, Alfonso “Al” Cusi, as he shares his point of view on this war and the extent of effects we are to anticipate as we see the rise in fuel prices almost weekly.

Later on today, we shall be having a fellowship gathering, entitled, The Seniors and the Stars, at the Heritage Hotel at 5:00 pm arranged by DDCC/IPP Bobby Joseph and VP Farid Shoucair for cocktails and dinner! By the way, this is Rotary way at Php 1,500 per head. See you all later! May God bless us all and bring healing where it is needed!

Humbly yours in Rotary, FSZ

Felix Francisco S. Zaldarriaga, President RY 2021-2022