Editorial

In the golden hour of July 24, as the sun begins its descent behind the bay and the horizon blushes with hues of farewell, the Rotary Club of Manila will gather once more — not for a regular meeting, not for a policy forum or project launch — but for something more tender, more human: a Fellowship. A Farewell. A moment suspended between camaraderie and gratitude, dedicated to one of our own — Rotarian Dr. David Klebs.

Held atop the Encaramada Rooftop Bar at the TRYP Hotel in the heart of the MOA Complex, the occasion invites us not merely to say goodbye, but to celebrate the spirit of Rotary that lives in David — one of intellect, engagement, and grace. In a time when transitions often pass with little fanfare, Rotary reminds us that departures, like arrivals, are sacred rituals. They are bookmarks in the story of shared service.

Rotary, at its core, is a fellowship of journeying minds and hearts. We are global citizens bound not by blood, nationality, or commerce — but by a shared commitment to Service Above Self, to ethical leadership, and to the ceaseless betterment of communities we may not even call our own. And in Dr. David Klebs, we found a kindred soul — an emissary of that ideal who carried with him the dignity of discourse and the decency of a true Rotarian gentleman.

That he now moves on to another chapter is not loss — it is, as the Germans would say, Gute Reise. A good journey. One that we must honor not with melancholy, but with mirth. Not with silence, but with stories.

For in the quiet corners of our fellowship gatherings — between toasts and laughter, reflections and embraces — we find the very essence of Rotary’s strength: its people. In the memory of fellowship, in the preservation of ties, in the symbolic honoring of a man who gave his time, ideas, and presence. It is a tribute paid not in grand speeches, but in our collective presence. Because when we show up for one another, we affirm what the Four-Way Test calls us to do: to build goodwill and better friendships.

As the sun dips and the first lights flicker over the rooftops of Manila Bay, let us raise a glass not just for Dr. David Klebs, but for the rare occasion when a goodbye is not an end — but a punctuation mark in a lifelong sentence of service.

He may be leaving our midst, but his imprint remains — etched in the programs he championed, the friendships he fostered, and the trust he earned without ever having to demand it.

To you, David, we say: Auf Wiedersehen, not farewell. Until we meet again — across time zones, across borders, across paths — may your journey be filled with as much meaning as the one you leave behind.

The Rotary Club of Manila is not simply a club — it is a continuum. And in moments like this, we are reminded why we joined: to belong to something enduring, and to celebrate, always, those who make that belonging worthwhile.

The Rotary Club of Manila stands at a threshold this Rotary Year with the theme Unite for Good. In welcoming Mayor Isko Moreno to the fold of our weekly dialogue, we are not merely inviting a past mayor — we are welcoming a continuing idea: that public service, when done with authenticity and audacity, can still matter. That it is not too late to restore trust in institutions, in communities, and in each other.

Let this gathering be more than a luncheon and more than a lecture. Let it be a meeting of minds across sectors, stations, and stories — a communion of public purpose.

Because when leaders like Isko speak, it is not only to recount where they’ve been — it is to awaken in us the urgency of where we must still go.