President’s Message

IT is with both joy and gratitude that I recall the past week’s exciting events. After our well-attended Club Assembly last July 10, we had our meeting on July 12 with Korean Rotarians from District 3610.

Together with Vice-President Ricky Guevara, Secretary/DIS Anton Mauricio, Global Grant Committee Chair Aries Balanay, and Star Rotarian Ingill Ra, I sat down with the delegation from the Rotary Club (RC) of Gangjintamjin headed by President Bang Jae Nam. The discussion on a global grant project partnership went smoothly that a Cooperation Agreement was promptly executed between our two clubs.

I would later accompany President Bang and his other officers to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) the following day, July 13, to personally inspect the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, as well as the pediatric wards. The ocular inspection, coupled with our discussion with Dr. Jenny Yap, made me and President Bang realize the real need of PGH for more equipment, such as incubators, radiant warmers, and breastmilk analyzers.

I look forward to fully consummating a meaningful global grant project with our Rotarian brethren from RC Gangjintanjin to help address the needs of PGH.

In the afternoon of July 12, with the attendance of our two Past District Governors – PDG Rudy Bediones and PDG Vince Carlos, more than 10 Manila Rotarians welcomed 70 plus Korean Rotarians from RI District 3590. In a meaningful activity, the visiting Rotarians (among them officers and members of RC Jinju-jeil) showered the children of Hospicio de San Jose with love and gifts that they all brought with them. RC Jinju-jeil even expressed its firm interest to jointly pursue a global grant project with RCM. I hope and look forward to successfully implement a project with them.

I highlight above the attendance of our two PDGs because their presence is always inspiring to me, and I am sure to all the other Manila Rotarians who were at the Hospicio during the eventful Saturday afternoon of July 12. Both PDG Rudy and PDG Vince have served RCM as Presidents, both have served as District Governors, and yet, even with several decades of Rotary service under their belt, they still show up in projects like the one we had with our Korean Rotarians from District 3590. What is more, they are always present in our Club’s weekly membership meeting. Now this is truly inspiring, and undeniably worth emulating.

This brings me back to the conferment of special citation to our five loyalty awardees for their 50 years of dedicated service to RCM. PDG Vince was among them, together with PP Archit, and Rotarians Claver Ramos and Brendan Egan. 50 years!

For Star Rotarians and relatively newbies like me, it is both refreshing and inspiring to witness and behold the sterling dedication and fierce loyalty of Manila Rotarians like PDG Vince, PDG Rudy, PDG Obet, PP Archit and PP Boy, among many others. Saludo ako!

Of course, I also salute each and every member of this Club (especially our Past Presidents and officers) who continue to self-effacingly make the effort and purposively take the time to fulfill their Rotary duties. Mabuhay po kayo!

As we mark the first two weeks of this fresh Rotary year, may we truly come together not as individuals, but as One united force, One RCM bound by purpose and passion — ready to write a story of success that echoes far beyond our time.