The Foundation of RCM

A Manila Rotarian has numerous ways and opportunities to serve the Club. One way is by serving as a trustee or officer of the RC Manila Foundation, Inc. (RCMFI). Founded in 1978, RCMFI has been the Rotary Club of Manila’s reliable companion in its effort to generate funds to implement various Rotary projects.

A duly incorporated foundation, RCMFI operates through a Board of Trustees headed by a Chairman. Together with the latter, the President, Trustees and other appointed officers collectively manage the RCMFI’s affairs, working to ensure that its role of fund mobilization for the benefit of the Club is being aggressively and efficiently pursued. This year, the RCMFI Board is Chaired by PVP Reggie Yu, with Director Mike Albana as President. Under their leadership, RCMFI hopes to once again, just like in the past years, play the role of the RCM’s foundation and strength, a worthy partner in the pursuit of service.

Over the past two years, RCMFI has successfully held the RCM Cup (our Club’s signature golf tournament for a cause) and generated the much-needed funds to enable the Club to successfully pursue its worthwhile projects. As a former Chairman of the WASH Committee, I have personally witnessed how RCMFI supported the projects that were undertaken by my committee (i.e., WASH training for Rotaractors, and the construction of handwashing stations in two schools in Tondo).

This year, WASH Committee Chair Emman de la Cruz will again utilize the funds earmarked by the Foundation to finance the construction of additional washing stations in our chosen schools. Similar impactful projects covering the other areas of service have likewise been supported by RCMFI. It is hoped that the Foundation, as a duly registered corporate entity and the Club’s official fund generating organization, will be sustained with the competent leadership, volunteerism and dedication of its officers.

In his talk during last week’s membership meeting, GOHS Engr. Edgar Saavedra mentioned that the public-private partnership (PPP) project involving the construction of public school buildings was among his most fulfilling undertaking. As a PPP practitioner, and in my PPP lectures to lawyers in various venues, the PSIP or the PPP for School Infrastructure Project (successfully completed through a Build-Lease-Transfer modality) is my favorite example of a successful and truly socially-relevant PPP project. Considering the National Government’s budgetary constraints and its inability to expeditiously address the classroom backlog, tapping the private sector’s resources and expertise to construct school buildings is truly a wise direction to take. Hopefully, more private entities will appreciate the impact of pursuing PPP school building projects, and will come forward to partner with the government to build more classrooms for our school children.