Editor's Note

The July 21, 2023 issue of Balita gleefully expressed the Editorial Board’s delight and excitement when President Hermie Esguerra made the announcement about a project to digitally archive our records, documents, and library materials. This project has since been patiently pursued, and in this week’s regular Club meeting, the Chair and Co-Chair will update the Manila Rotarians of the status of the on-going digitalization of the documents.

The Rotary Club of Manila, the first in Asia, is more than a century old. It is impressive that, throughout the more than 100 years of its existence, our Rotary Club has been able to preserve the actual hard copies of important documents and records. To reiterate what was said in July 2022, the documents that are dedicatedly stored in our office in Ermita serve as repositories of the RCM’s heritage and rich history.

More specifically, among the records tacked in our library is the complete set of Balita, which has assiduously reported and chronicled our Rotary Club activities since 1920 when the first fortnightly issue was published. Our office library showcases the vintage editions of Balita, starting with the 1948 series. They are all hardbound and lovingly tacked in glass-covered shelves in our Ermita office.

If one would take a look at these old editions of our Balita, immediately noticeable is that the pages of the newsletter reflect the monumental and unparalleled journey of our Rotary Club –- the meetings, programs, projects and fellowship activities. The articles and photos also share the thoughts and mindset of the Club leaders at the time, the mood of the era, as well as the challenges faced and actions taken to overcome them. What is more, an assortment of stories about historical pivots and turns are also featured. All these Balita issues over the past century form part and parcel of our Rotary’s Club’s evolving story. All these are integral to our Rotary Club’s great legacy.

Although Balita started coming out with a digital format in 2020, all past publications were issued solely in hard copies. Therefore, preserving and storing copies of our newsletter and important Club documents in digital form, and ensuring their easy access by the current and future Manila Rotarians, is a truly fitting way to pay homage and tribute to our Rotary Club’s colorful, radiant and deep history.

In fine, the digitalization program is one that merits the support of everyone.