Editor’s Note: On Choosing Wisely

A similar article was featured here on 3 August 2023, which was also published in August 2022. This was the time of the year when Manila Rotarians were tasked to take a judicious look at the nominees and wisely discern who would be the 8 members to best serve as Club Directors for the succeeding Rotary year. In all these past articles on the subject matter, I have always expressed my fascination with the unique Rotary culture of electing officers way ahead of the commencement of their term.

This month of April 2024, the various Rotary Clubs comprising District 3810 will be electing the District Governor who will serve in Rotary year 2026-2027. With more than two years to go, the District is already set to elect the District Governor Nominee (DGN). This indeed is preparation at its best. This is succession planning in action. The elected DGN will undergo all the required trainings and undertake the much needed preparations to be fully ready for a one-year stint as District Governor. By the time the DGN assumes office, more than two years shall have been spent preparing for a one-year service as the Leader of District 3810.

With the election season brewing, the Rotary Clubs in the District will be making their respective choice and cast their vote on who will be the DGN. As Asia’s first Rotary Club, and as the mother of all clubs, RCM is again expected to take the lead in making a judicious and intelligent decision who among the various candidates for Governor is best suited for the job. For this purpose, each candidate’s qualifications, and equally important, her character and adherence to the 4-Way Test, should be assiduously examined. All candidates must be vetted based on a high standard, and if none of the candidates meet the standard, then no one may be voted upon. In other words, a candidate must be chosen based on his own merits, and not based on the demerits of his contenders.

The RCM Board has already made its choice. After a unique development transpired, the Board reconvened, deliberated the matter anew, and thereafter resolved to reconfirm its choice. I respect the process ordained in the Club’s constitution and by-laws, and I recognize the mandate and authority of the Board. But how I wish our Directors have collectively resolved the matter differently.