Forging Alliances, Shaping Impact

IN a time when many choose to work in silos, the Rotary Club of Manila (RCM) under the dynamic leadership of President Raoul Creencia has chosen a different path — one paved with shared missions, collaborative aspirations, and transformative partnerships. In the opening months of Rotary Year 2025–2026, the country’s first and oldest Rotary club has taken the bold step of institutionalizing change through an unprecedented series of Memoranda of Agreement and Understanding with a wide range of organizations, both in the public and private spheres.

Each signing was more than ceremony; it was a declaration—a pledge to turn goodwill into action, and shared goals into lasting impact. Below is a sweeping chronicle of these remarkable collaborations, stitched together by a common thread: service that transcends boundaries.

Honoring the Unsung Heroes of Retail

In one of the most symbolically resonant partnerships of the year, the Rotary Club of Manila and the Philippine Retailers Association, led respectively by President Raoul Creencia and PRA President Alice Liu, signed a Memorandum of Agreement to recognize the quiet yet essential contributions of Filipino retail workers.

Often overlooked yet instrumental to daily life, these workers are now set to receive the acknowledgment they deserve. Through awards, narratives, and public campaigns, the partnership aims to highlight their dignity and dedication, thus uplifting an entire sector that forms the economic backbone of everyday commerce.

Championing Government Transparency and Service Efficiency

The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between RCM and the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), represented by Secretary Ernesto Perez, marks a leap toward cleaner, more accessible governance. Through this alliance, Rotarians will be trained as ARTA Champions — empowered to receive and elevate complaints from professionals, businesses, and civic groups regarding bureaucratic inefficiencies.

This is not merely advocacy; it is active citizenship. The goal is to simplify documentary processes, making licenses, permits, and clearances easier to access while ensuring transparency, fairness, and accountability in public service.

A Brotherhood of Service: Rotary Club of Manila and JCI Manila

Two giants of Philippine civic service — RCM and JCI Manila — came together through a historic MOA signed by Presidents Raoul Creencia and Jan Adrian Padiernos. This partnership promises not only shared projects, but also shared values.

From disaster resilience efforts to animal welfare programs, the two organizations will jointly identify initiatives to address urgent community needs. The alliance is a celebration of synergy — combining the depth of Rotary’s legacy with the vigor of JCI’s youth-driven energy.

Innovation Meets Empowerment: RCM x Innovation PH

In partnership with Innovation PH, led by Grace Fernandez (President & COO) and Marc Kristian Gulle (Administrator), RCM has committed to advancing community innovation, capacity building, and multi-sectoral network development.

This is a forward-looking endeavor, setting the stage for grassroots empowerment, leadership development, and civic engagement initiatives that bridge sectors, industries, and generations.

Opening Doors for the Deserving: The Dualtech Scholarship Agreement

In collaboration with Dualtech Training Center, President Jerry Webb Muhi and President Raoul Creencia signed an MOU focused on scholarship programs for underprivileged yet deserving youth.

Rooted in the belief that education is the most powerful equalizer, this partnership will fund technical-vocational training that equips students not just with skills —but with dignity, confidence, and purpose.

Life in Every Drop: Rotary x Philippine Red Cross

Through a strategic Memorandum of Agreement with Philippine Red Cross, led by Chairman Richard Gordon, RCM committed to hosting annual mobile blood donation drives and promoting the PRC Safe Card Program. In return, PRC will extend critical medical support to employees and dependents of RCM members when supplies are available.

This partnership merges the compassionate heart of Rotary with the life-saving mission of the Red Cross — proving once again that service knows no boundaries.

Clean Water, Clear Purpose: WASH Education Collaboration

RCM’s partnership with WASH Education Pty. Ltd., led by Ms. Kathleen May Faigal, lays the groundwork for WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) education programs that will benefit underserved communities.

Together, they will roll out hygiene campaigns and water-related education projects that underscore Rotary’s global thrust for clean water and disease prevention, especially in vulnerable and underserved areas.

Surgery as Service: Partnering with World Surgical Foundation Philippines

In cooperation with World Surgical Foundation Philippines, Inc., represented by President & CEO Dr. Marcus Lester Suntay, RCM will assist in conducting surgical outreach missions to provide free medical procedures to marginalized communities.

These medical missions will save lives, restore dignity, and offer hope — especially to those who suffer in silence because they cannot afford care.

Kindness in Action: RCM and PETA for Animal Welfare

With the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) through Director Ashley Fruno, RCM will organize a veterinary mission in Tondo, Manila — offering free sterilization and vaccinations to the local pet population.

This project is as much about community wellness as it is about compassion. By controlling stray populations and ensuring animal health, RCM and PETA affirm that empathy for all living beings is integral to community service.

Sisterhood Beyond Borders: RCM, Kandaya, and Lipa South

Rotary’s essence lies in fellowship — and nowhere was this more evident than in the twin Sisterhood Agreements signed with the Rotary Club of Kandaya, led by President Lolita Escaño, and the Rotary Club of Lipa South, led by President Joseph Vincent Lim.

These agreements, witnessed by District Governor Caroline Andrade, RCM Secretary Anton Mauricio, and former RCM Past Director and now, Chair Rene Policarpio, outline a shared roadmap: joint projects, member exchanges, collaborative fellowship, and a strengthening of inter-club ties.

Beyond formalities, these bonds cultivate cultural understanding, deepen personal friendships, and ignite collaborative opportunities for community and international service.

A Legacy of Leadership through Partnership

With all these agreements in place, President Raoul Creencia has turned the Rotary Club of Manila into a hub of collaborative leadership, where action springs not just from within — but from the trust, values, and synergies formed with like-minded institutions.

What these partnerships collectively represent is not just a checklist of civic gestures — but a bold, strategic move toward nation-building, one agreement at a time. As the Rotary wheel turns forward into the heart of RY 2025–2026, RCM stands not only as a solitary beacon — but as a vibrant part of an ever-growing constellation of changemakers.

In President Raoul’s own words: "To serve is to connect. And to connect is to build a future not alone, but together."

Indeed, with each handshake, signature, and shared vision, the Rotary Club of Manila builds more than projects — it builds hope. And in doing so, it builds the nation.