Random Conversations and Musings

The first weekly membership meeting to kick off the 2024-2025 magical Rotary year held last July 18 was successfully held. We can happily tick all the boxes of what constitutes a great WMM -- good attendance, general positive vibe and optimism, and of course the exciting and insightful guest speaker who graced us with her charm, wit, and informative talk. Undersecretary Margaux Salcedo is a breath of fresh air, and is definitely a good addition to PBBM's official family. Her warm personality and youthful vivacity resonated well with the audience, and her song at the end of her speech was an added surprise. This year is certainly off to a good and magical start.

Everybody was excited to hear last week's scheduled guest of honor and speaker, retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Tirol Carpio. Had it not been for Carina and the woeful flooding that she brought, Retired SAJ Carpio would have shared his thoughts on a matter that is close to his heart. Thankfully, he is set to resume his guesting in our WMM on August 8.

Former Undersecretary Art Valdez will be this week's guest of honor and speaker. His topic -- Our Natural Waters, Maritime History and Tradition as Seafaring Nation -- is interesting, as this will be a worthy phase 1 before our GOHAS next week discusses a related matter, the West Philippine Sea. According to Program Committee Chair Caloy Serapio, “Mr. Valdez recently gave a lecture at Xiamen University that left his Chinese audience stunned and speechless.” Manila Rotarians are excited to have a glimpse of Usec. Valdez's memorable speech in China.

Truly, the West Philippine Sea is a burning issue of our times. As we have observed, the region has seen increased military activities, with China building artificial islands and militarizing them, leading to tensions and confrontations with the Philippines and other claimant countries. News reports about China's behavior is also an increasing concern. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) could play a pivotal role in seeking a peaceful resolution to the problem. Ruefully, the progress has been slow primarily due to differing national interests. Today, the West Philippine Sea dispute remains a complex and evolving issue, and both Usec. Valdez and Justice Carpio could hopefully help us all better understand the significant geopolitical implications for regional stability and international maritime law. It is in this light that this engaging topic will surely engender a provocative exchange and arouse interest and enthusiasm among Manila Rotarians and guests alike.

The Club's Program Committee, together with the Board led by President Jujut, must be congratulated for this series of well-organized weekly meetings, tackling a very timely topic. Our Editor-in-Chief Reggie has notably put together a good team for Balita. With Rhea assisting in the lay-out and presentation, and with the able secretariat lending its usual enthusiastic support, this will surely be another blazing year for our weekly newsletter. It will not be a surprise, therefore, if the District will again confer (at the end of the year) a special award to Balita – the country's oldest club newsletter. With this legacy, I underscored in my July 11 column that Balita should continue to sublimely mirror Rotary Club of Manila's positive image, legacy, and greatness.