29th Weekly Membership Meeting: A Recap

Program Moderator

PD Issam Eldebs was the week’s Program Moderator who efficiently navigated the sequence of the meeting. He began by inviting Manila Rotarians to be seated to allow the meeting to officially commence.

Call to Order

Sounding the bell, Pres. Rafael “Raffy” M. Alunan III called the 29th weekly membership meeting to order.

Invocation

The recitation of a beautifully written prayer, setting the tone of the meeting, was led by Rtn. Michael “Mike” D. Roxas.

Philippine National Anthem

Rotary Members and guests took a position of respect as they sang the Philippine National Anthem.

Four-Way Test

Rotarians were again reminded of their commitment to live by the Four-Way Test, with the recitation of this mantra led by PD Issam Eldebs.

Guest Speaker (Classification Talk)

Sharing his personal and professional life with Rotarians and guests, Rtn. Joshua Rueben Aragon gave an interesting and insightful Classification Talk.

Open Forum

Adding more color and texture to his classification talk, Rtn. Joshua Aragon gamely answered the queries of (below photos, from left) PP Chito Zaldarriaga, Dir. Hans Palacios, PP Archit Bartolome, Rtn. Willie Pelino, Dir. Tony Lopez, Rtn. Vee David, VPE Joel Valdes, PD Oscar Del Rosario, and PD Abe Pascual.

Donation to RCMFI

On behalf of RC Manila Foundation, Inc. RCMFI President Willie Peliño accepted the donation of laboratory equipment, valued at P5M, from Rtn./Dr. John Cenica. The auspicious signing was witnessed by RCM Pres. Raffy Alunan and VP Reggie Yu.

Token of Appreciation

As this week’s classification talk speaker, Rtn. Joshua Aragon was presented the RCM’s Plaque of Appreciation, which was witnessed by DGE Joaquin “Jackie” C. Rodriguez and Pres. Rafael “Raffy” M. Alunan III.

Adjournment

After thanking the guest speaker and all attendees, the meeting was adjourned by Pres. Rafael “Raffy” M. Alunan III.

President’s Time

Pres. Raffy Alunan informed the attending members that IPP Hermie has committed to a future contribution for the Paul Harris Fellow/Society, separate from another past president's contribution. DGE Jackie also made an impromptu commitment. He further expressed, however, some concerns about RCM members' attendance, especially when juxtaposed with that of other clubs, as presented during their mid-year report in Busan. He added that, given the current number of members, he fears his administration or RCM might not achieve the goal of reaching 250 members during the remaining months of his presidency. This concern on dwindling attendance and the possible inability to reach the targetted number of members was discussed in relation to observations about the ongoing internal conflicts leading to resignations, including the recent departure of Rtn. Basti Lacson.

Finally, Pres. Raffy addressed some internal behavioral issues among other members and expressed a desire to put a stop to it. He sounded a clarion call for everyone to look into the health and status of the Club.

Meeting Fellowship