The Rotary Balita no. 750 (July 22, 1954)

Rotary first came to Cebu during the latter part of the 20's thru Mr. Lacy Goodrich, Manager of the States Shipping Line, who talked about it when most people in this country had barely heard about Rotary. The slight interest that he succeeded to arouse, however, failed to take roots in this community at that time. Five years later, Stanton Turner, a prominent Manila Rotarian, met with better success as Rotary by that time had become better known due to the outstanding civic activities of the Rotary Club of Manila and in October, 1932 the Rotary Club d Cebu was organized consisting of 27 Charter members (as recorded at the Head Office in Chicago as follows: Ramon Aboitiz, Isabelo Binamira, Guillermo Francisco, Henry Gasser, Henry Gilhouser, Ge Chan, Go Siong Mit, Virgilio R. Gonzales, Manuel Gotianuy, Agustin Jereza, E. H. Johnson, R. R. Landon, H. M. Power, C. J. Martin, Mori (1st name unknown), Crispin Ocampo, Carl Olsen, Steves Pronko, Henry Renner, Valeriano Segura, G. W. Sinclair, E. T. Stelle, Albert Terry, Tio Tiam Umezawa (1st name unknown), H. M. Unstad and Agustin Villalon, three of whom are still members of the Club: Isabelo Binamira, Henry Gasser and Go Siong Mit. On February 16, 1933, we were presented with the Charter by Theodore "Ted" Hall, Manila Rotarian and later Governor of this Rotary District, in a fitting ceremony. Capt. C. J. Martin was unanimously elected First President of the Rotary Club of Cebu, assisted by H. M. Power, as Vice-President, Steven Pronke as Secretary, R. R. Landon, Henry Gilhouser, Ma nuel Gotianuy and Valeriano Segura as Directors. Although "Ted" gave us a long dissertation on what Rotary was, we only had a hazy idea what it was all about, but we got off to a good sta and gradually additional members joined the Club to about 50, composed of Americans, Filipines Chinese, Italians, Spaniards, Swiss, Germans, British and Japanese. In spite of the difference in nationalities and creeds, harmony reigned supreme and our regular meetings became events which everyone looked forward to with great pleasure and slowly the local community also became in- terested in this new Club. We confined activities mainly to community service and during the incumbency of H. M. Power, as President, we provided the City of Cebu with the first traffic signs of a rather unique design because if you hit one it hit back at you, or kind of a boomerang. Some of them were still in existence when the war broke out, although in a condition which was no more a credit to Rotary. In 1935 or 1936, we issued an illustrated pamphlet with the idea of "Selling Cebu" to tourists and calling their attention to the many worthwhile interesting spots in and around Cebu. These pamphlets were sent to interested parties all over the world and although thousands of them had been printed the few that were left at the outbreak of the war were of course lost with the results that there is not a single copy available anymore. The object of bringing Cebu to the fore was a big success but the cost of it kept the Club for a number of years in the red. Regular weekly meetings were held and we were honored with many outstanding speakers, foreign and local, until the war broke out on Wednesday, December 4, 1941. The speaker was Rotarian Noya of Mitsui, Chairman of the International Service Committee, who was to leave for Japan (?) shortly and felt that it was his duty to acquaint us with the mean- ing of MARU, or why all Japanese ships carry the word "Maru" after their name. While relations between the United States of America and Japan had sadly deteriorated during the previous few months and everybody, Rotarians and non-Rotarians, were apprehensive as to how this situation. would end, everybody hoped for the best that a solution for the strained relations would eventual- ly be found, although not long before the actual outbreak of the war we were warned by a speaker holding a diplomatic position in Manila to prepare. for the worst. The war was in China, more than a thousand miles away, so why worry too much that it would eventually reach the Philippines? I venture to say that not one of the Rotarians present, except per- haps the two Japanese members, felt or probably knew that this was to be our last meeting for sometime to come or for more than three years. Four days later, or on December 8th, early in the morning, our hopes were abruptly shattered when Pearl Harbor was bombed and the news from. Manila what had happened there left us stunned and everybody's own problems of how to meet the new situation pushed Rotary in the background with a very definite emphasis on the following Sunday, December 14th, when the first Japanese war planes bombed Cebu. Individual experiences of the Rotarians during the following three years would fill volumes and are no part of this narrative. Our Club lost two members fighting the invaders. -Valin Segura in Bataan and Fitz Reed in Davao both officers of the USAFFE, having been. killed in action. The Japanese invaded Cebu on April 10, 1942, and to our surprise our last speaker on December 4, 1941, had suddenly become a Major of the Japanese Army. Waiting for liberation taxed most everybody's endurance to the limit but also this day eventually came and after VJ Day, when Cebu, in spite of al- most total destruction, gradually became repopula- ted; a small number of Rotarians contacted others. with a view of reviving Rotary again. Response was rather lukewarm at the beginning but some Rotarians in the Army joined and we were able to hold our first meeting in September 1945 with about 15 members, the majority of whom were Cebu Rotarians and several Army officers from various Clubs in the USA. The Army provided quarters for the meetings and though quite primitive, the V Rotary spirit instantly took hold of everyone present. The undersigned was appointed President but was forced to resign as such in January 14 due to ill health and Fred Deen took the chair. The following are the postwar Charter member Jose Agustines, Jose Avila, Isabelo Binamin H. P. Byrd, Jose Castillo, Jose Chavarria, Narcis Cinco, Manuel Cuenco, Alfred Deen, Nicolas E cario, Vicente L. Faelnar, Henry Gasser, Go S Mit, Agustin Jereza, Simeon Miranda, Jesus N lasco, Jose Nolasco, Rafael Ramos, Salvador Sal Jose Sevilla, O. R. Squillantini, Tio Tiam, Tirso Uy Tengsu, Pio Valencia, Tura Veloso and Du Williams. No great problems were taken up and/or solved during the first few months, the main objective was to foster fellowship and in this we certainly succeeded. The Army supplied most of the speakers and gradually the membership increased. Most of our prewar members, except those that had transferred to other towns, joined again and new ones have been added, so that the membership as of today is 71. Dart Williams was elected President for 1946/47 but due to his transfer to the Education Department at Malacañan, Meon Miranda was elected President to succeed him for the unexpired term Our past Governor Tingting Faelnar, postwar Secretary, by unanimous vote stepped into the Presidential chair for 1947/48 Rotary year and held it for 1948/49 and 1949/50 and Jack Panis was elected President for 1950/51 and reelected for 1951/2 followed by Tony Suaco for 1952/53 and our incumbent President for 1953/54, Badong Sala. Presidents of the Rotary Club of Cebu from 0- tober 1932 up to October 31, 1953: 1932-33 - C. J. Martin 1933-34 - H. M. Power 1934-35 - R. R. Landon 1935-36 - Henry Gasser 1936-37 - Buenaventura Veloso 1937-38 - Leo Schmitt 1938-39 - Isabelo V. Binamira 1939-40 - Henry Gasser Jose D. Castillo 1940-41 - Fitz Reed 1941-44. - War Time 1945-46 - Henry Gasser Alfredo Deen 1946 - Dart Williams 1946-47 - Simeon Miranda 1947-48 - Vicente Faelnar 1948-49 - Vicente Faelnar 1949-50 - Vicente Faelnar 1950-51 - Joaquin L. Panis 1951-52 - Joaquin L. Panis 1952-53 - Antonio T. Suaco 1953-54 - Salvador E. Sala (incumbent) It is to the credit of "Tingting" Faelnar, past President for 3 consecutive years and past Governor of this Rotary District, as well as the subsequent Presidents including the incumbent President, who have injected new energy into the activities of the Club. May it be so in the future!