Amusings in the Life of a Rotarian

Rafael A. Francisco served as District Governor of Rotary International District 3830 Philippines for 2006-2007. Known as Butch by his family and friends, he is a Multiple Paul Harris Fellow and was president of his home club, Rotary Club

of Makati Central, in 1993-1994. Spouse, Maling, and son, Rafael Jr., are also actively involved in Rotary and are both Paul Harris Fellows.

(A)MUSINGS i n t h e L i f e o f a R o t a r i a n

R.A. (Butch) Francisco

© 2007 R.A. (Butch) Francisco All rights reserved

Published by RTV.PH Foundation, Inc.

For permission to reproduce, in whole or in part,

write the copyright owner. Email: [email protected]

Post: P.O. Box 2518, Makati Central Post Office 1265 Philippines

Printed by MG Reprographics, Inc. San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Cover design by Sir Speedy

Book design by Herbert Montevirgen

Rotary International and logo are registered trademarks of Rotary International.

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners

ISBN Pending

Reyes, Rodolfo O., 176

Rivadeneira, Bernardita B.,

56

Rosales, Felisa B. , 137

Salas, Ma. Rhodora R., 162

Sanchez, Teresita, 161

Santiago, Ricardo L. , 103

Sapitan, Federico P., 89

Sebial, Aks 181

Segovia, Willy, 45

Sin, Jaime Cardinal, 100

Singzon, Cesar R., 180

Swensrude, Neil, 97

Tan, Corazon E., 154

Tan, Yolanda C., 80

Tumangan, Guiller E., 198

Vidal, Ricardo Cardinal, 100

Villania, Elvira H., 109

Villavicencio, Ma.

Adelica B., 98

Wilkinson, Wilfrid , 200-201

Yoshida, Steve, 106

Yu, Doris E., 41

(A)MUSINGS i n t h e L i f e o f a R o t a r i a n

215

I N D E X O F N A M E S

Acoba, Ma. Rosario, 147

Afzelius, Edwin, 44

Akwari, John Stephen, 111-

112

Alas, Donnies T., 189

Aquino, Corazon C., 100

Badr, Mohammad, 204

Bartholomew, Helen, 134

Bates, Sydney, 132-133

Blessed Mother Teresa,

28,98, 170

Boyd, Bill, ix

Bunye, Estelita F., 70

Cura, Jaime A., 74, 84

Dela Cruz, Ma. Rosario

Elizabeth G., 193

Evangelista,Rocky Fr., 47,

101

Ferrera-Brunner, Estelita,

76

Francisco, Rafael A., 68, 107,

200-201, 218

Gimmi, Mel, 172

Indonto, Noe B., 50

Jorge, Lulu Virata, 176

Josol, Jose G., 61

Josue, Ma. Arlin, 123

Kaneko, Masato, 76- 78

King, Ma. Paz, 131

Lucas, Alice, 119

Madrid, Rey, 176

Maligaya, Malou, 115

Marty, Conrad, 160

Oba, Hiro, 77

Oplas, Bienvenido Jr. S., 168

Oplas, Ma. Criselda, 66

Pablo, Ignacio, 37

Perez, Hugo, 127

Quinlivan, Tony, 98

Rabe, Julie R., 159

Ramos, Fidel, 100

Razon-Arceno, Carmen, 114

Rellera, Letecia C., 185

Reyes, Angelo, 100

(A)MUSINGS in the Life of a Rotarian

214

valuable time to help take care of her father who is

ill, for being understanding with this endeavor and

the selfless care.

My staff, for all the honest-to-goodness

work and extra-work in order to finish the book in

accord with the timeline.

Above all, the Almighty God and Father,

whom we never forget to invoke in our club

meetings, for the inspiration, guidance and

unconditional love.

And all those whose names do not appear

in this book but who nonetheless helped put this

together in one piece, for all the hidden sacrifices

and generosity.

God-willing, I look forward to start writing

its sequel.

Butch

T A B L E O F C O N T E N TS FOREWORD.................................................... ix C H A P T E R 1 BACK-TO-BASICS: A FRESH LOOK INTO THE FOUR-WAY TEST ..................................... 1 Keeping the table firm .................................. 4 Is it the truth?................................................ 5 Is it fair to all concerned? ............................. 8 Will it build goodwill and better friendships?...................................11 Will it be beneficial to all concerned?......... 15 A call to be committed................................. 17 C H A P T E R 2 SERVICE ABOVE SELF: LEADING THE ROTARY WAY ......................................... 20 Main objective: service................................ 24 The meaning of service ............................... 26 Essentials of service..................................... 28

C H A P T E R 3 DRIVING THE WHEEL: MUSINGS IN THE LIFE OF A ROTARIAN ...................................... 31 First and last impressions ............................37 True rewards ................................................ 41 The reluctant president .............................. 44 Worth the sacrifice ..................................... 50 Little things, big discoveries....................... 56 Giving and living .......................................... 61 Never too young.......................................... 76 Going once, going twice, going… ............. 70 Serendipity .................................................. 76 Extra small club, extra big hearts ............... 80 Of treasures ................................................. 84 One wheelchair, one life, one perspective...................................... 89 Beyond borders ........................................... 98 Dr. Rotary is in ........................................... 103 Race to the finish ....................................... 109 Caught by the Four-Way Test ....................114 The rookie....................................................119 Sharing blood, saving lives ........................ 123 Public service the Rotary way.................... 127 Passion, hard work and dedication ..……... 131 Putting a smile on a child’s face ……………...137

213

A C K N OW L E D G M E N T

T o come up with a book could be

very daunting, especially if it

involves busy executives—and Rotary club

presidents at that! I would like to thank all those

who participated in one way or another in making

this project a reality.

First of all, the four club presidents, Noe

Indonto from the Rotary Club of Las Piñas Camino

Real, Inky Reyes from the Rotary Club of Makati

Dasmariñas, Nonoy Oplas from the Rotary Club of

Taguig-Fort Bonifacio and Buboy Intal from the

Rotary Club of Rizal West, who helped me initiate

this project, for their ideas, wit and good humor.

All the contributors, whose names appear

in Chapters 3 & 4, for sharing their original stories

for the first time in print.

Maling, who in spite of having to split her

C H A P T E R 4 CLUB BITES: AMUSING STORIES IN THE LIFE OF A ROTARIAN............................. 143 Unusual birthday party.............................. 147 Open sesame! ............................................. 154 The million-dollar question....................... 159 Rotary is for oldies?.................................... 162 From meetings to projects to parties—Rotary is lots of fun ..............168 San Isidro gem............................................ 172 It pays to listen ........................................... 176 The beard of fame ......................................180 When words aren’t your forte ................... 185 Short is beautiful: fun and

service in the Rotary ...........................189 Center stage................................................ 193 No red light ................................................198 A chance to smile ...................................... 204 AFTERWORD ............................................... 209 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................. 211 ACKNOWLEDGMENT..................................... 213 INDEX OF NAMES ......................................... 215 PROFILE OF THE AUTHOR ........................... 218

211

B I B L I O G R A P H Y

The bulk of the articles in this book consists of real-

life stories of Rotarians, and only relevant

bibliographies of the first two chapters will be cited,

to wit:

Bennet, William J. Book of Virtues. Simon &

Schuster, New York 1993.

De Marco, Donald. Heart of Virtue. Ignatius Press,

San Francisco 1996.

Escriva, Josemaria. The Way. Sinagtala, Manila 1991.

Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Harcourt Brace &

Company, New York 1946.

Tuazon, Oliver M. (ed). Back to the basics:

fundamental principles and values for nation

building. FCA, Makati 2005.

Most of the information about Rotary can be found in

Rotary International’s official website,

www.rotary.org.

210


all readers—Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike—to

try to apply these principles into their own lives,

and somehow write their own life stories in due

course. I am sure that each Rotarian has

something to share, what with the constant

exposure to these examples. But why not, any

person of goodwill, to whom this book is dedicated,

will surely have a word or two to contribute in this

valuable endeavor to help build this world with the

example of the good lives of many, unsung

ordinary people.

Truly, at the end of it all, as one of the early

mottos of Rotary puts it, He Profits Most Who

Serves Best!

F O R E WO R D

L ead the Way has become an unforgettable

theme for many Rotarians. It was chosen

by Rotary International President Bill Boyd to

embody his thrust for Rotary Year 2006-2007.

Expounding on this theme, he invited all

Rotarians to lead the way ”by living as a role

model of tolerance, unselfishness and integrity.”

It is along these lines that we have

struggled for the past year to build our clubs—its

members and projects. And it is our wish that

this book—albeit imperfect and non-

exhaustive—will somehow encapsulate our

endeavors.

Incidentally, we can outline the entire

book along the main ideas of President Boyd’s


x

challenge as quoted above: tolerance,

unselfishness and integrity

In this modern world, tolerance can only

be understood correctly in the context of a real

understanding of the truth. Notably, the concept

of truth is very much into the ideals of Rotary.

The first question in our world-renowned ethical

code, the Four-Way Test, is all about it. Chapter

1 will guide us into a deeper understanding of

this ethical code, positing the first as the

foundation of the other three. It ends with a

challenge to the reader to assimilate these

principles and translate them into one’s day-to-

day existence.

The concept of unselfishness, on the

other hand, is tackled in Chapter 2. It is devoted

on the elucidation of the all-encompassing

Rotary motto of Service Above Self. It takes a

short glance into the history of service in the

world of Rotary as started by its founders. This

chapter also touches on how Rotary sees and

defines service covering its four aspects: club

service, vocational service, community service

209

A F T E RWO R D

O ne obvious conclusion that you will make

after reading this book is that life in the

Rotary is a combination of musings and

amusings—of serious work and fun-filled service, of

inhibitions and discoveries and moments of

hesitations and generosity.

That is true and this book attempted to

precisely capture this day-to-day drama—

seemingly contradictory yet forming a unity—in

the lives of Rotarians, with the backdrop of the core

principles that make up the organization: its ethical

code, the Four-Way Test, and motto, Service Above

Self. We could liken these foundational principles

elucidated anew in Chapters 1 and 2 as the spirit

that breathed life into the flesh-and-bones (the

real-life stories) narrated in Chapters 3 & 4.

But the challenge only starts here. I invite

xi

and international service. And to somehow put

life into these concepts, the meaning and

essentials of service are further elucidated.

Finally, the virtue of integrity provides a

perfect foundation on which the reader could

understand and appreciate the variety of stories

in Chapters 3 and 4. At the end of the day, each

Rotarian should be able to ask him/herself

sincerely if he/she is happy devoting his/her life

at the service of humanity. Happiness will only

be true if we keep ourselves ”whole” as we

engage in our activities by the practice of virtues

such as honesty, unity of life and fidelity—all of

which strengthen one’s integrity.

In 2005, integrity was the most looked-up

word according to Merriam-Webster’s online

dictionary. It means ”firm adherence to a code,

especially moral or artistic values.” And in

Rotary, we have an ethical code—the Four Way

Test! We can say that the day-to-day

application of this code could best be gleaned

from the actual stories of the lives of Rotarians.


xii

Chapter 3, as its title Driving the wheel:

musings in the life of a Rotarian suggests, puts

together real-life stories of Rotarians as they

”drive the wheel” of their respective clubs. The

”wheel”—a prominent icon of Rotary’s logo—is

used in this case to symbolize the different clubs

featured in the articles. Although majority of the

stories relate the contributors’ first-hand

experience in doing social service, some stories

deal upon the fears, inhibitions and adventures

of Rotarians.

On the other hand, Chapter 4 touches

upon the more amusing stories that will surely

lighten up your day. Its title, Club bites:

amusing stories in the life of a Rotarian, says

it all. Hopefully, the reader would come up with

the conclusion that although serving one’s fellow

men/women requires effort, it is nonetheless fun

and more so, fulfilling! The last article in the

chapter—and of the book for that matter—was

especially chosen to move the reader to give

him/herself more in the service of humankind.

It is both a ”musing” in the life of a Rotarian

which is ”amusing” in its overall impact.

207

Or, for the likes of Jocelyn, giving them the

ability to take the first step in spreading peace and

joy: to smile.

Yasin served as President of the Rotary Club of Las Piñas for Rotary Year 2006-2007. He enjoys watching news and current affairs programs and is also an occasional bowler.

206


Together with the

other patient, the girl I

met at the meat shop went

to my office at my request.

Immediately I brought

them to the RC Parañaque

office for documentation

and scheduling. It was the

eve of Typhoon Milenyo, and the two girls seemed

to preempt the wet night ahead! Tears of joy welled

in their eyes as they were briefed of the assistance

that would be given to them. Still they were in total

disbelief of their fluke.

A week later, the two girls were finally

operated on. Soon they were in their respective

homes and sent us text messages of their gratitude.

Jocelyn, the shy and charming girl I met in

a meat shop many weeks ago, now shows

confidence: there’s warmth in her smile and glow

in her eyes. She has a new leaf, so to speak.

This is Rotary Service—touching, uplifting,

and improving the quality of people’s lives.

��This is Rotary Service—touching,

uplifting, and improving the

quality of people’s lives��

xiii

But wait a minute. This book was not

written for Rotarians alone. Although the

principles that were expounded and the stories

told were about Rotary and by Rotarians, any

reader with a minimum desire to help

humankind will find some consolation in this

book—that there is hope to make this world

better! But it all depends on the effort of each

one to give him/herself more each day,

selflessly, in whatever endeavor he/she is

personally engaged in—whether he/she is a

Rotarian or not!

R.A. (Butch) Francisco

July 1, 2007

CLUB BITES | Amusing stories in the life of a Rotarian

205

I introduced myself as the president of the

Rotary Club of Las Piñas and told her that I could

help her correct her cleft lips at no cost. I gave her

a brochure of the Cleft Lip and Palate Project of the

Rotary Club of Parañaque. The brochure had

pictures of smiling children who used to have cleft

lips.

The girl gave me an incredulous look. She

could not understand why a foreigner like me

would take time and effort to lend assistance to an

ordinary girl like her. I asked for her contact

numbers; hesitatingly, she gave them to me. I also

gave her my business card and told her to call me.

But the call never came.

Days passed and our club had another

patient to be referred to the Cleft Lip and Palate

Project. I remembered the girl I met several days

ago and called her. I asked her why she did not call.

She politely answered that she went to the

province. I requested her to call the other patient

and convinced her that the Rotary was willing to

help her. She did.

204


A chance to smile

Mohammad Badr

D riving to work with a cup of tea beside

me, I spotted a teenage girl inside a small

meat shop in Las Piñas. She was rather small and

charming—except that she had a harelip, with

parts of her gums and teeth jutting out of her

mouth.

I wanted to park and talk to the girl, but the

traffic was jammed. Fearing that I might lose her, I

rolled down my window and beckoned at her.

Almost instinctively, the girl covered her mouth.

Nevertheless, she approached me, thinking that I

might be a customer.

T o a l l m e n o f g o o d w i l l


203

I had a stroke. But I was able to overcome it

because of my will power to survive and my

determination to serve.

Now I can even dance the whole night.

In the Rotary, there is no red light. We are

always on the go. When you talk about service, the

light is always green, 24/7. The limits of the terms

of the officers are, for me, just imaginary. Whether

or not you are the Governor, whether or not you

are young or, well, aged—you continue to serve our

less fortunate brothers and sisters the best way you

can.

That is and will always be the essence of

Rotary: service.

Guiller Tumangan served as District Governor of RI District 3830 for Rotary Year 1999-2000. He has become a Training Leader of the Rotary International, training 530 incoming Governors from around the world.

202


On a club medical mission to Mindoro, my

fellow Rotarians and I had to ride a jeepney to

reach the place where we were to conduct the

mission. It was especially windy that day. All of us

held on to the rails of the public transportation.

Except for one.

One of the fellows held on to his well-kept

hair, as if clinging to dear life.

Like that fellow, I

can admit to being vain

sometimes, but when it

comes to our social outreach

projects, we become simple

people. The lesson here is

that people who really have

it in their hearts to help will

not mind the inconvenience.

During that trip, we experienced things we weren’t

use to doing in our everyday comfortable lives in

the city. But I never heard a single complaint from

any one.

I forget to mention that prior to my

assumption as Governor, seven months to be exact,

�� The lesson here is that people who

really have it in their hearts to

help will not mind the

inconvenience ��

C H A P T E R 1

Back-to-Basics A fresh look into

the Four-Way Test


201

important management conference to attend in Las

Vegas. So please take charge of the visit.”

I was taken aback.

I am mentioning this anecdote because as

much as I have experienced so many things already

during that time, I still acquired an important

lesson. Gov. Butch may not have been there, but

before he left, he made sure everything was ready

for the President’s arrival. In fact, he personally

took care of the event’s logistics. His support was

overwhelming.

What was even more touching was that he

came home immediately after his conference in

order to be there during the last two days of

President Wilkinson’s five-day visit.

That event was a learning experience. It

taught me true leadership. Gov. Butch had to

attend an important business conference, but he

never left his people behind.

Finally, I’d like to end with a very short

anecdote—one that I always find amusing.

200


President over-all that year.

We fast forward just a little bit more—it

was 1997 and I was elected as the District Governor

for the 1999-2000 term. Aided by the help and

support of my fellow Rotarians, our District was

able to put up the first Rotary Academy in the

Philippines, which gears to educate Rotarians

through training modules on leadership and

service. It had a structure and even its own roster

of faculty. It is a legacy that my term has left

primarily due to a belief that I hold—that a trained

Rotarian can serve better.

In the recent term of Governor Butch

Francisco, I continued to help out. In fact, it was I

who was assigned to coordinate the visit of an

important dignitary, no less than the Rotary

International President-Elect Wilfrid Wilkinson

himself.

Weeks before President Wilkinson arrived,

all the preparations were polished. But four days

before the arrival, Gov. Butch called me.

“Classmate, I have bad news. I have a very

BACK-TO-BASICS | A fresh look into the Four-Way Test

3

F or many, the Four-Way Test is all they

know about the Rotary. It is so ubiquitous

in public squares that the Four-Way Test has

become its ”ingredient” if Rotary is to be

considered a brand name.

But would you know that this code of ethics

is not an original Rotary idea? But of a Rotarian, it

was!

In 1932, Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor

formulated the Four-Way Test as a business ethics

code for a company that was facing bankruptcy. It

is a 24-word test for employees as a code of

conduct for their business and professional lives.

And it has been credited for the eventual survival


4

of the company.

Today, the Four-Way Test is considered as

one of the world’s most widely printed and quoted

code on business ethics. Adopted by the Rotary in

1943, it has become the organization’s code of

ethics. It serves as a personal examination of

conscience among its members as it goes,

"Of the things we think, say or do:

1. Is it the TRUTH?

2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER

FRIENDSHIPS?

4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all

concerned?"

KEEPING THE TABLE FIRM

Like the four legs of a table, the Four-Way Test has

become the ethical baseline of the Rotary for the

past six decades. We can go as far as to say that the

strength of the Rotary may be gauged according to

the way each Rotarian lives his/her life according

to this code.

A building is only as strong as its


199

Fast forward to 1993 and I became the

President of my club, the Rotary Club of Makati

West. That was two years after Mount Pinatubo

erupted. The magnitude of the tragedy was such

that we had to do something to help. Then and

there, I promised my members that for every peso

they raise for the victims of the tragedy, I will shell

out a peso as well.

It was a big risk for me and I knew that. But

I stood by my word. It was a challenge, and they

responded—enthusiastically. They were able to

raise an awesome 450,000 pesos, at that time a

huge amount.

As committed, I gave the same amount

through the generosity of the company I was

working with. As a result, we were able to give

houses to 18 families in Pampanga. Giving shelter

to people during that time of tragedy, I felt, was

not an extraordinary thing that we did. It was our

responsibility as Rotarians. Rotarians will give

wherever and whenever there is a need.

The icing on the cake was winning the Most

Outstanding Club and Most Outstanding Club

198


No red light Guiller E. Tumangan

I t was between 1987 and 1988. So many friends

were asking me to join the Rotary. I hesitated.

After all, I was of the impression that the

organization was just focused on talk of who died

the day before or who was rushed to the hospital

hours ago. It was, I thought, an association for the

aged.

But I got tired of the pestering and

eventually budged in September of 1988.

Boy, I am glad I did. My only regret today is

the fact that I could have joined much earlier.


5

foundation—a table, its legs. Hence, in this

chapter, we shall try to take a fresh look into this

ethical code. Let us assess, on a personal and

organizational level, on how we have been building

our lives and clubs according to these principles.

Why bother? It is because we want to avoid,

paraphrasing the intellectual Augustine of Hippo,

running very fast, but headlong to a deep cliff, or at

the very least to the wrong destination. As we

pursue our personal, professional and

organizational projects, it is always best to see

them in relation to the principles that are meant to

provide their meaning and direction, which for the

Rotary are enshrined in the Four-Way Test.

And so, let’s go back-to-basics …

IS IT THE TRUTH?

It is very edifying to discover

that at the very core of the

principles of Rotary is the

search and promotion of truth.

Because it can only tell us that

Rotary has remained at the

forefront in the promotion of

� � � � Right values instilled in the hearts and minds of people are necessary in

nation

building ��


6

the right values essential for the ordering of society

towards the common good.

Right values instilled in the hearts and

minds of people are necessary in nation building.

And these values will only be right if they are

grounded in the truth. Truth about what? About

the very nature of things, of life, of relationships

and of whatever have you.

The way the first question is formulated in

the Four-Way Test—is it the TRUTH?—is very

telling. It is not the same question that has made a

person famous or rather infamous for two millenia

now: quid est veritas?, what is truth? We all know

what he did after asking that question. The Four-

Way Test does not question the truth but asks if

what is at hand is the truth.

We can then say that at the very core of

Rotary’s code of ethics is the constant search for

the truth—the only stable foundation in building

our personal and professional lives. As the 17th

Century philosopher Francis Bacon puts it, “truth is

that sovereign good of human nature.”


197

so when we went out, we were ready once again to

work!

In retrospect, I’d like to think that I gave

the club some significance. I worked hard to play

my role well. In the end, I did not want to be

remembered merely as a good president, but as a

committed Rotarian.

There were flaws, frustrations and even

lapses of judgment. But just like any other role that

one plays in life, they served well in making me a

more seasoned performer, a better person.

Thank you, Rotary!

Lilibeth served as President of the Rotary Club of Parañaque Metro for Rotary Year 2006-2007. She has worked in the fields of Public Relations and Events Management.

196


See, our objective is not merely to be rated

10 in the things that we accomplish, but to promote

within the club the factors of T.E.N.: T for

Teamwork, where there is less of me and more of

we; E for Effectiveness, in order to achieve desired

results; and N for Networking, fostering

interconnections within the club.

We also manifested the factor of T.E.N. in

order to encourage creativity among our club’s

members. For instance, we divided the club into

four teams, each tasked to plan, organize and host

club activities like our weekly meetings, special

programs and workplace visits. Each team tried

their best to come up with something

extraordinary for the club, resulting to a fun-filled,

highly charged year for the Rotary Club.

We proved that yes, we

do service, but we also take

time to enjoy doing what we do

through these light moments.

We really worked hard—blood,

sweat, tears, and empty pockets

always beleaguered us. But

during meetings, we recharged

�� We proved that yes, we do service, but we also take time to enjoy doing

what we do through these

light moments ��


7

In adhering to those perennial truths that

are true to all men and women of all times and

ages, the perfection of our human nature, of our

capacity to love and be loved and of our effort to

build a better future is achieved. Every human

being, whatever be his/her race or creed,

recognizes these as belonging to the patrimony of

humankind. Hence, we call them objective moral

principles or truths.

These truths are written in the tablets of

our hearts and every human being recognizes them

as belonging to the natural law—that law which is

built in the nature of humanity.

Adherence to these universal moral

principles and the natural law constitutes the basis

of understanding and the fostering of peace among

various cultures and peoples in whatever part of

the globe. History tells us that it is precisely when

man neglects or completely disregards these norms

that human rights are trampled upon and one

group of people lords it over another. This reality

was succinctly made into a fable by George Orwell

in his famous novel, the Animal Farm.


8

What sets apart the Four-Way Test is that

its first way, i.e., is it the TRUTH?, constantly

challenges the now pervasive relativistic mentality

among many people. By the very fact that it is first

among the other tests, not only signifies its primary

importance but also it being the foundation of the

other three.

Should one fail in the first way, there is no

question that the other tests become irrelevant.

When it is an untruth, a lie that we are talking

about, it will never be fair to everyone, it will

neither build goodwill nor friendship and it will

never be beneficial to anyone. That’s the reason

why we always ask first, is it the TRUTH?

IS IT FAIR TO ALL CONCERNED?

The question of fairness leads us to justice, one of

the four cardinal virtues recognized by ancient

philosophers. We could say that fairness is an

aspect of the more encompassing virtue of justice.

Justice reminds and exhorts us to render

others their due. Rendering others their due is a

very basic requirement for the sustenance of

mutual dealings among people within a social


195

Moreover, in Rotary, commitment is spelled

as S- E- R- V- I- C- E, because it only knows one

commitment and that is to serve; to serve no

matter what the trade-offs are.

I actually looked for Rotary, and not the

other way around, as most Rotarians would tell

you. I lived overseas for 12 years because of my

husband's profession and I remember frequenting

the Philippine Embassy to volunteer myself to do

activities for the Filipino communities. Sometimes

I would visit the prison, or go and meet with

Overseas Filipino Workers, and organize activities

and shows for them.

When my husband and I came back in 2001,

I was looking for something worthwhile to do. A

friend invited me to attend a Rotary meeting and I

enjoyed it so much that I just kept on coming back

after. On the 4th meeting, I was inducted. I never

stopped after that!

And now, here I am, having a fruitful year

behind me after leading our club’s 10th year.

Looking back, it was apt to have “Perfect T.E.N.” as

our club’s theme during my term.

194


I am really a reluctant president—in fact, I

tried to talk my fellow Rotarians out of it. I even

invited the seven Past Presidents to my house for

lunch. I cried in front of them and said, “I don’t

know how to use the computer! How am I going to

make a newsletter every week?”

At the same time, I was aware that all I

really had to do was give the best that I can, and I

will be fine. I was on a stage where there were no

second takes, no cuts and no directors to guide my

every move. But I was determined to put my heart

and soul in the job.

It was three years ago when I decided to

join the Rotary. I can’t help but look back to those

days when I was still a fledgling Rotarian who

nonetheless felt enthusiastic to understand the

Rotary, its objectives and its mission as a

worldwide organization.

I was aware, however, that enthusiasm

alone was not enough to keep me here.

Commitment was, is, and will always be the most

important factor that makes one an effective

Rotarian.


9

group and among societies, or in short, among all

the human beings in this planet.

In his book, Heart of Virtue, Canadian

philosopher Donald DeMarco, comments that

justice presupposes love. He argues that although

we are bound together as human beings with the

invisible cord of justice, our rendering of what is

due to another only happens if we have at least

some regard for him or her in the first place.

Moreover, DeMarco affirms that it is

possible for us to love everyone justly, even

strangers, albeit it may not be a passionate love as

we render to people who are closer to us. He

defined justice as that rectitude of our love we owe

to all men and women.

Only in this context

can we possibly regard

everyone as equal, not

some men as more equal

than others, extrapolating

from the statement of one

of the main characters of

George Orwell’s Animal

� � � � When we pose the question on fairness, what we ultimately ask is whether justice is accorded to everyone we deal with ��


10

Farm.

Even the great Western thinker of

antiquity, Plato, could not resist expounding on

this subject which has become the central idea of

his masterpiece, The Republic. When we pose the

question on fairness, what we ultimately ask is

whether justice is accorded to everyone we deal

with.

That is fairness on a personal level.

Meanwhile in organizations, governance laureate

Jesus Estanislao wrote, “In governance, the horizon

cannot be limited to the ‘here and now’ or the

short-term; a strategic perspective is required so

the long-term is given its due and much

importance. The same strategic perspective extends

the horizon way beyond merely narrow interests of

specific individuals or sub-groups within the bigger

social group: it must cover the common interest

and the general welfare of the bigger social body.”

The idea of the common good is then more

understandable. It does not mean the good of the

majority but the good that stems from the common

patrimony of humankind. The former can justify


193

Center stage Ma. Rosario Elizabeth G. Dela Cruz

W illiam Shakespeare said that all the

world is a stage, and all the men and

women are merely players. All have their exits and

entrances.

If I may add, essential too is what happens

in between these exits and entrances, and how well

the parts are played.

I had mixed emotions the day I assumed

the position of President of the Rotary Club of

Parañaque Metro. I felt like I was on center stage—

all eyes were watching, all ears were listening. I was

completely overwhelmed, knowing that

expectations were high.

192


they were real. I knew they would keep their

words. And they all did.

From then on, I went all-out, realizing that

what really counts in the Rotary is one’s willingness

to grab the opportunity to serve.

Donnies currently heads an auditing firm. He served as President of the Rotary Club of Makati North in Rotary Year 2003-2004 and District Treasurer in Rotary Year 2006-2007.


11

mob rule while the latter exemplifies justice, which

again is ultimately rooted in the truth about man,

as have been demonstrated above.

WILL IT BUILD GOODWILL AND BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? In the past years, there has been a proliferation of

“Ambassadors of Goodwill.” These are individuals

who are expected to bring the “message of

goodness” to institutions or even to entire nations.

But what is goodness all about? This virtue

may be understood more clearly by elucidating on

how it is lived. Goodwill is manifested when we

pass on to someone the goodness of a cause we

sincerely believe in—like building our lives and

organizations on a sense of duty, virtue, and love

for God or as concrete as a social project for the

less fortunate.

Goodness is a spiritual treasure. When you

say that something is spiritual, in contrast with

something material, you refer to a reality which

you do not see with your naked eye and is not

made of parts. Air, for example, is invisible but

science tells us that it is made of parts like oxygen.


12

We can then say that air is material although we do

not see it with our naked eye. Goodness on the

other hand, is neither visible nor material (i.e., not

made of parts).

Following this reasoning, with goodness—

unlike with a material thing—you gain more of it

the more you share it with others. If you have 10

apples, and you give half of them to your friend,

you will only have five apples left for yourself. But

the ability to give requires and fosters the virtue of

generosity—no matter how small—which adds to

your “goodness.” You may have five apples less, but

you have gained more generosity, more goodness!

How about the will? Philosophers describe the

will as that human faculty that makes us choose

the good. And the constant process of choosing

the good builds our freedom, i.e., our capacity to

choose the good. Some people regard freedom as

the capacity to do as what they damn please. But

this attitude is precarious for keeping the harmony

in a society and among individuals.

One manifestation of this lack of

understanding of the real meaning of freedom is


191

we achieved our goals because they saw that I was

human too. I had my own share of strengths and

weaknesses, and talents and limitations.

Overall, things went way beyond anyone’s

expectations. We gave so much support and

understanding to each other, it was astounding and

inspiring at the same time.

I remember starting out my term as the

Club President feeling extremely inferior to my

fellow club mates, who were all CEOs and

managers of their companies. I experienced

sleepless nights and restless days for several

months before my term even started.

Our club members

noticed the sudden shift from

my jolly, casual self to Mr.

Rigid Perfectionist. But thanks

t o t h e i m m e n s e

encouragement I got from my

club, I was able to balance

things out.

“You can do it, we will help you.” I knew

�� “You can do it, we will help you.” I knew they were real. I knew they would keep their words. And they all did ��

190


“Can you see me now?” I would ask.

Everyone would burst into laughter, and cameras

would start preserving the uproarious moment.

They were also particularly fond of inviting

towering guest speakers and matching them with

me in the program, to the enjoyment of everyone

present. These moments brought amusement and

delight to our meetings and as a result, broke the

monotony and kept the members awake!

How do I feel about this? I honestly love it.

In fact, I laugh with them. Never did I feel insulted,

always welcoming everyone with a big smile.

Ironically, I discovered later on that this made me

even more credible to them, as I was perceived not

merely as their president, but as their close buddy.

The result? More people started enjoying

attending our community projects, initiatives

related to vocational work, youth activities and

visits to sister clubs.

I would like to trace my term’s effectiveness

with the good relationships that we fostered with

one other. More than anything else, I believe that


13

when one disobeys the just laws of the land. One

cannot insist on doing what he/she damn pleases

by not following the traffic rules,

for example. If that person drives

counter to the flow of traffic, he/

she may end up killing him/

herself in an accident. He may

end up not just destroying his/

her freedom but that of others as

well.

This leads us once again to the harmony

present in the Four-Way Test. Fairness, goodwill

and freedom always take as their baseline the

upholding of the truth. In the previous example, it

applies to the basics of traffic rules, or the just laws

of the land in the general. As Dr Robert P. George

of Princeton University affirms: “True freedom, the

freedom that liberates, is grounded in truth and

ordered to truth and, therefore, to virtue.”

In the same manner, building friendships is

very much grounded on having goodwill. The

opposite of which is selfishness, an attitude that

makes service almost impossible as we shall see in

Chapter 2.

� � � � Building friendships is very much grounded on having goodwill ��


14

It is friendship that makes the world go round

as what a friend usually says. We can say that it is

friendship that provides the human warmth in

justice, in fostering those harmonious relationships

among people.

In carrying out our projects in Rotary, we have

to see our beneficiaries as our fellow men and

women, not as our slaves or as people who are so

poor and needy that all they need is material help,

making our service devoid of human warmth,

kindness and why not, friendship.

After all these years of helping people, we

could already come to the

conclusion that more than

material things, what

makes our faces smile and

our eyes look up to heaven

is the love that goes with

the help that is given to us,

whether material or

spiritual. Only when we

see our fellowmen as we

are—men and women who

have inalienable rights and

�� … more than material things, what makes our

faces smile and our eyes look up to

heaven is the love that goes with the

help that is given to us, whether material or spiritual ��


189

Short is beautiful: fun and service in the Rotary

Donnies T. Alas

I was 28 years old when I started serving in the

Rotary. My fellow Rotarians would jokingly

refer to me as the “baby Rotarian,” as I was then

just 5’1” in height and 130 lbs. heavy. I am the one

that they would always notice, the one they would

always pick on, making fun of my short stature.

During our weekly meetings, my club mates

would ask me to stand up even if I was already

standing. I would then play around with them by

grabbing the nearest chair and standing up on top

of it, with both hands held up high waving to all.

188


did my best to implement our planned projects,

and in the process, managed to even receive a Club

of Distinction Award during the District Awards

Night for 2007!

I have to acknowledge the Rotary for

encouraging me to conquer my fear of speaking in

front of crowds. I realized that there’s no use in

being afraid to step out of one’s comfort zone. The

lessons one will acquire will be truly priceless.

Letty served as President of the Rotary Club of Muntinlupa North for Rotary Year 2006-2007. She is a mother of five and a painting and bowling enthusiast.


15

who have body and soul—shall we amplify the

goodness that we aspire to create in our projects up

to the end of time.

Truly, one can find great wisdom from

these words from the Holy Book: “No greater love

than this that a man lay down his life for his

friends.” To love one’s friend is to want what is best

for him or her. What is best for our friends—and to

our fellow men and women in general—can never

be evil. True friendship is always geared towards

the truth and the good.

WILL IT BE BENEFICIAL TO ALL CONCERNED? Beneficial, benefactor and beneficiary—terms that

are often used when a social project is being carried

out—can all be traced from two Latin words, bene

and facere, which can be loosely translated to

“good” and “to make.” In other words, we can say

that these three terms all refer to the idea of

“making good.”

As we have noted above, this good that we

try to achieve is always connected with the truth.

Metaphysics actually considers both terms as

transcendentals of being, together with unity and


16

beauty. In short, we can

say that being is one, true,

good and beautiful. It is

along these characteristics

that we can measure the

effectiveness of all these

questions that form the

Four-Way Test.

And these could

only be truly acquired

when one struggles to live

a life of virtue. Virtues, put simply, are those stable

dispositions that make a person good or do good.

They are built from the constant practice of moral

values.

One acquires virtues as he or she constantly

practices a good act, up to a point that that act

becomes part of him or her, that is, a second

nature. In simple words, we call a virtue a good

habit, as opposed to vice as a bad habit.

A virtuous man will certainly be beneficial

to all and a project built upon virtues will definitely

be both beneficial and sustainable.

�� A virtuous

man

will certainly be

beneficial to all

and a project

built upon virtues

will definitely be

both beneficial and

sustainable ��


187

sentences regarding my

proposed projects and plans

for the year.

Suddenly, my mind

went blank. I opened my

mouth and tried to proceed.

“I … I …”

I searched inside my head trying to find the

words to say.

“Mmm … a …”

But nothing came out of my mouth. In my

mind I thought, “Oh my, I have got to finish this!”

Lost for words and hurrying to get out of

the situation, I simply blurted out, “Well, actions

speak louder than words. I promise there will be

plenty of worthwhile and meaningful projects

during my term as President of the Rotary Club of

Muntinlupa North. Thank you.”

The rest is history. I have since moved on. I

�� I realized that there’s no use in being afraid to step out of one’s comfort zone ��

186


words to say. You see, words do not come easily to

me. When I am in front of people, all the thoughts

I planned on articulating depart from me.

I eventually had to face my worst fears

when I was elected to be the President of my club. I

knew that as president, I was trapped in a corner—

I would be falling into a pit that I always tried to

avoid. This time, there was no escape route for me.

Want it or not, I had to speak before an audience.

And so goes that my most unforgettable

night as club president was during my induction

night, when the time came for me to deliver my

message. To this day, I can still remember that

fateful moment.

I walked slowly to the podium and faced

the audience. Gosh … I felt as though my heart

stopped beating! I paused, took a deep breath and

closed my eyes tight. I gathered the courage I

needed and opened my eyes.

In front of everybody, I managed to go

through my opening greetings with nary a glitch.

Then, I succeeded in delivering three to four


17

Cultivating a life of virtue is a life-long

process. And the best time to start is now—

whether we are young or old. As we learn to act in

accord with objective moral norms and the natural

law, we learn to live these virtues in a constant and

stable way. And that marks the start of living what

is highly-regarded as a virtuous life which

consequently builds up our character and lifestyle

of goodness.

A CALL TO BE COMMITTED

After having taken a fresh look into the Four-Way

Test, a fresh look into our own lives is but the

logical consequence. Only then can we truly make

a fresh look into the way we run our clubs and why

not, our families as well.

The Four-Way Test as a code of ethics may

sound as a tall order for each one of us. But it will

not be so if we take it first upon ourselves as our

personal ethical code of assessing the way we live

and build our lives. And then we can look at the

way we build our families, clubs and the society we

live in.


18

Just like acquiring virtues, measuring our

lives according to the standard of the Four-Way

Test is a lifelong process. We grow in our ethical or

moral life as we go through life. We can never

really say that we are sufficiently formed, because

formation—that effort to improve on a regular

basis through personal struggle and external

help—never ends.

We can liken our struggle to be virtuous

and ethical to a man pushing a big rock on an

inclined plane. If the man stops pushing and stops

striving to take the rock to the top, the rock will

roll down with him, or worse, on him! But if he

does his best—even if it is just a slow process,

which the Japanese call

kaizen—as long as it is a

steady climb, that man will

succeed in attaining his

ultimate goal.

All these call for a

personal commitment. We

can begin with one good

deed after another, no

matter how insignificant.

�� Just like

acquiring virtues,

measuring our lives

according to the

standard of the Four-

Way Test is a lifelong

process ��


185

When words aren’t

your forte Letecia C. Rellera

A sk me to cook, to bake, to sew or to clean

and rearrange the house, I will gladly do it.

Cooking is no fuss, sewing relaxes me.

But public speaking, well that’s a different

story. I loathe speaking in front of people. For me,

it is dreadful, downright nerve-wrecking, and fear-

intensive. Whenever I encounter a situation where

I will be called upon to speak, I always make an

excuse to get out of it.

My fear of speaking does not result from

shyness, but the fear that I will lack the proper

184


pronounced when one considers my lady-like

nickname “Ces.”

Ces, a lawyer, served as President of the Rotary Club of Makati McKinley for Rotary Year 2006-2007. This Samar native, who once aspired to become a medical doctor, is the eldest of eight children.


19

It is actually in our small, daily efforts to improve

that eventually will make us comfortable later on in

making those big leaps to be better. Even if we are

not able to organize big projects ourselves, all of us

can contribute in his or her own little way in

building our societies by taking care of the little

things.

I would like to end this chapter with some

words of wisdom taken from a modern sage and

saint, which I hope can start a spark inside you that

will make you commit once and for all to live your

life according to the Four-Way Test and

consequently help build our society, no matter how

small your contribution be:

“Have you seen how that imposing building

was constructed? One brick after another.

Thousands. But, one by one. And bags and bags of

cement, one by one. And stone upon stone, each of

them insignificant compared with the massive

whole. And beams of steel, and men working, hour

after hour, day after day … Did you see how that

imposing building was constructed? … By dint of

little things!”


183

come I was well known and popular with the

group.

One GSE team member

said, “It’s because he has this

(pointing to my chin).”

“Oh, a beard!” said my

classmate.

So the culprit was

discovered—my beard, which I

cut just once in two weeks.

When I looked around, I noticed several

hairless Rotarians. But their big number makes

their baldness less striking. Being bald, I guess, is

not enough to get noticed and to leave a lasting

impression on the Koreans. Sure, there are many

handsome, articulate and smartly-dressed

Rotarians, old and young, but none of them

possessed a beard.

Indeed, among the presidents of RI District

3830, I stood out as the only club president who

sported a beard. The branding becomes even more

� � � � Sure, there are many handsome, articulate and smartly-dressed Rotarians, old and young, but none of them possessed a beard ��

182


Initially, the Koreans were not scheduled to

be with us during our Christmas party. A Korean

Rotarian, who was supposed to accompany them to

go to some places, cancelled their appointment on

the last minute.

Luckily, our party fitted their schedule. The

Koreans were bustling from one location to

another that they were left tired and worn out. This

is why they only managed to spend two hours with

us.

But those two hours

were more than enough for me

to register in their memories.

In truth, I only got to talk to

them for just a few minutes.

Obviously, my position as

president of the club required

me to meet all the people present in the party.

I was not a GSE superstar or a district

officer in charge of the Koreans. And like I said, I

was not able to spend a good deal of time with

them. A lady Lead President even questioned how

� � � � My position as president of

the club required me to

meet all the people present in the party ��

C H A P T E R 2

Service Above Self Leading the Rotary Way


181

members of the inbound Korea Group Study

Exchange (GSE) in December 2006. Our fellow

Rotarians were surprised when all six of the GSE

team members approached me one by one and

shook my hands like long lost friends.

Aks Sebial, the Rotarian in charged of the

Koreans, was trying to introduce me to each one of

the team members. He was surprised to hear the

Koreans’ common response, “Yes, yes … we know

him.”

I met those Koreans only once before the

party, so imagine my own surprise. What was in me

that made a lasting impression on them?

You see, a week or two before the farewell

party, those Koreans were with us during our

Christmas Party at the Rotary Club Makati

McKinley. The Koreans had a dizzying schedule

with quite a number of clubs both in Makati and

Metro South arranging activities for them to

attend. These clubs played home-stay hosts, or day

hosts for a myriad of activities and tours in and

outside the district.

180


The beard of fame

Cesar R. Singzon

I never considered myself famous.

I am not the type who stands out among

the crowd. People seem to not even recall my name

a few minutes after I am introduced to them. I am

used to being just another normal face to new

acquaintances.

But on a party hosted by the Rotary Metro

South clubs, it all changed.

For one night, I had a sudden change of fate

… of fame.

It all happened in a farewell party for the

SERVICE ABOVE SELF | Leading the Rotary Way

23

I t all started with a donation to a poor preacher

in Chicago. His horse had died and he could

not replace it. Because of this, he was unable to

make the rounds of his churches and

parishioners. Moved by compassion, the founding

members of Rotary decided to give him another

horse.

That was in 1907. A century later, in our

own times, the word Rotary has been made akin to

”service.” From that single donation to a poor

preacher, literally thousands of projects—from

poverty and hunger eradication to literacy

programs, environmental protection, global

eradication of polio, and the like—have now been

carried out throughout the world by Rotarians.

Hardly would you find a Rotary Club in any


24

part of the world that is not doing any type of

service to its community. In this chapter, we shall

deal with the ideal of service as seen by Rotary as

an organization. From this, we shall discuss some

principles that are needed to do effective, efficient

and sustainable service to our fellow men and

women.

MAIN OBJECTIVE: SERVICE

Rotary’s motto, ”Service Above Self,” was coined in

1911, a year after the first ever convention of the

National Association of Rotary Clubs in the United

States. They culled it from among the phrases used

by the speakers in the convention, among which

were: Service, Not Self and He Profits Most Who

Serves Best. These phrases speak of Rotary’s deep-

seated desire to render service in the workplace,

communities and the entire

world.

It has since been the

”Object of the Rotary” to

encourage and foster the

ideal of service as a basis of

worthy enterprise, and in

particular, to encourage and

� � � � It has since been the ”Object of the Rotary” to

encourage and foster the ideal

of service as a basis of worthy

enterprise��


179

attend the next meeting of the Rotary Club of

Makati Dasmariñas.

See you there!

Inky served as President of the Rotary Club of Makati Dasmariñas for Rotary Year 2006-2007. Aside from his stint in Rotary, he is also a Governor in the Philippine National Red Cross.

178


I looked at her sincerely in the eye and said,

“Would you like to have it? I’d be more than willing

to cede the prize to you!”

With a big smile, Lulu gratefully accepted

my offer, and hastily wrested the piece of paper

with the black star from my fingers. Then, as

sincerely as she was unaware of her fate, she looked

at me and said, “You ’re such a nice guy for giving

up your raffle prize for my sake.” (If you were

Filipino, you could just imagine how this

conversation went as we were speaking in our

native tongue.)

Well, you should have seen her face when

she found out what owning that piece of paper

meant. When Rey called her to come to the front

and bare her innermost secrets to the other

members, she protested that the piece of paper

actually belonged to me. Naturally, I denied her

allegations.

The rest is history. Lulu went up to the

front of the room, and boldly answered all our

questions. Now we know that … well, whatever it

is we know, that’s for you to find out when you


25

foster the following four aspects of service:

First, the development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service; second, high ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society; third, the application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business and community life; and fourth, the advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

From these four aspects of service arose

Rotary’s philosophical cornerstone named as the

Four Avenues of Service:

Club service which focuses on strengthening fellowship and ensuring the effective functioning of the club; vocational service which encourages Rotarians to serve


26

others through their vocations and to practice high ethical standards; community service which covers the projects and activities the club undertakes to improve life in its community; and international service which encompasses actions taken to expand Rotary’s humanitarian reach around the globe and to promote world understanding and peace.

THE MEANING OF SERVICE

We could say that the aforementioned object and

avenues of service are its ”technicalities.” But what

is more crucial is each Rotarian’s conviction to

serve, based more or less on one’s understanding of

the true meaning of service.

The great Pope John Paul

II who is loved by both

Christians and non-Christians

alike used to say that man is a

gift—that his/her perfection

consists in giving him/herself as

a gift to another. Although the

ultimate expression of man’s

perfection as a gift is when he/

�� ... man is a gift—that his

perfection consists in

giving himself as a gift to another ��


177

announced that an empty water glass containing

pieces of paper would be passed around. The

Rotarian who picked the one with a big black star

drawn from it would be required to sit in a chair in

front of the room and answer, as sincerely as

possible, all questions posed to him/her, be they

professional, personal, or super personal.

When Rey was announcing these

guidelines, our dear Lulu was busy exchanging

banter and the latest news in Metro Manila with

the Rotarian seated next to her. She was totally

oblivious to the game mechanics, and the possible

compromising situation the hapless owner of the

piece of paper with the black star would find

himself or herself in.

The lots were drawn.

Alas, I drew the piece of

paper with the black star.

Suddenly, Lulu, who was

seated next to me, noticed

that I had drawn that

unwanted piece of paper. She

told me, "You’re so lucky to

have won the raffle prize!”

� � � � I had drawn that unwanted piece of paper. She told me, "You’re so lucky to have won the raffle prize!” ��

176


It pays to listen Rodolfo O. Reyes

I t could never have happened to a more

dedicated, committed and hard-working

Rotarian.

But it did—to a Charter Member of our

Club at that. Because she was not listening to the

Rotarian speaking at the rostrum, Community

Service Director Lulu Virata-Jorge paid a dear price.

Part of our program during our Club

Assemblies is the “Hors d’oeuvres” where we

entertain members and guests through parlor

games. That fateful day (for Ms. Lulu), President-

Nominee Rey Madrid was the game master. He


27

she offers his/her entire life to the Creator, his/her

service to his/her fellow men/women also

contributes to this perfection. And since the

perfection of man is intrinsically linked to his/her

true happiness, only in this way—when man or

woman gives himself or herself as a gift—can he

she be truly happy.

We express this ”self-giving” in a very

concrete way in those acts of service we do at home

to our family, in our work environment to our

colleagues, in our day-to-day life to those people

we meet every day, and of course, in the social

outreach programs that we carry out in our

communities.

Is it not our personal experience to feel very

happy everytime we see the smiles in the faces of

the people we serve? Are we then not moved to

forget all the arduous preparations we had to

make? Moreover, doesn’t this inspire us to move on

with our next outreach project?

ESSENTIALS OF SERVICE

But how if people to whom we do service to do not

seem to appreciate our work and all the sacrifices


28

we had to go through? And worse, how if they

misjudge our service as a propaganda?

We could say that only when these things

happen in one’s effort to serve the others does

one’s conviction to serve is proven authentic.

This is where real charity—an essential part

of service—comes to the fore. We are lucky to

have in our times a person who has exemplified

this type of service up to its deepest consequences

and who should thereby inspire us to persevere in

our efforts to serve the others, even those who may

not be able to thank us: Mother Teresa of Calcutta,

now named a Blessed.

Blessed Mother Teresa once said that she

has found a paradox: that if you love until it hurts,

there will be no more hurt, only more love. We

can develop practical lessons applicable to our

clubs from this apparently

spiritual consideration.

Love is true when it is

continually given—although

not necessarily felt—in

� � � � ... if you love until it hurts,

there will be no more hurt, only

more love ��


175

Our club also conducts medical missions in

the village three times a year. We also bought

sewing machines and trained the people to use

them. This helped them acquire additional income

for their families.

All these projects in what used to be an

unknown village fascinates me until now!

Mel served as President of the Rotary Club of Makati Urdaneta for two years.

174


It also made the parents more involved in their

children's education. They used just to send off

their children to school. Now they would even take

turns with the teachers in watching over the

library.

Also, the surrounding area's appearance

impro ved s in ce the l ib ra r y was

completed. Dilapidated buildings were repaired,

and even the residents nearby attempted to

improve the appearance of their homes. The well-

maintained library really must have been

instrumental in raising the standard of beauty and

order in the community.

Once, my husband and I donated a large

world map to the school. It was so big that it

covered one side of a classroom's wall. People say

that little San Isidro is the only nook in Rosario

that has one of these. Some would even take it

further, saying that no map this vast can be found

in all of Batangas!

I recall that story with deep joy, because it

is indicative that San Isidro's people began to have

more sense of worth.


29

adverse moments. For

example, the love of a

husband for his wife is

tested when they are not

in good terms and when

in these moments, they

continue to affirm the

promise they made in

marriage to stay together

through thick or thin, in health or sickness, for

better or worse, until death parts their ways.

We can apply the same thing in carrying

out our social projects. Sometimes perhaps we do

not feel like doing them anymore because of the

effort involved, the difficulties of soliciting funds,

the apparent ingratitude of the people, or any other

hurdle that may arise. But it is only when we stand

above all these apparent—yes, I place emphasis on

the word apparent—difficulties will we understand

what true service is all about.

The sustainability of a social outreach

project or any humanitarian project for that matter

depends not so much on the availability of material

resources but on the spirit of the people behind the

� � � � It is only when we stand above all these apparent

difficulties will we understand what true service is all about ��


30

project. That is like paraphrasing what a sage and

a saint used to say—that projects fail not so much

because of a lack of money but rather because of a

lack of spirit.

It is in the spirit of love and sacrifice—

touchstones of true service—can we persevere in

doing these good works. We can then affirm that

we should not allow difficulties, opposition and

ingratitude to dampen our willingness to serve. In

fact, these obstacles help us rectify our

intention. It is only then can we truly say from the

bottom of our hearts that we are here to serve, as

our motto says, above self!


173

those days, books were things of

luxury. We did not even know

what a dictionary was!

But San Isidro did not

stay that way for long.

One of our projects was

the construction of a library for

the pupils of San Isidro

Elementary School. At least once

a year, our club would visit the

place and bring new sets of

books.

Before refurbishing the

library, we also provided amenities for the school's

playground. We were told that children would

often stay late in school to play, but now they stay

late to consume book after book!

The library also catalyzed unexpected

changes in the town.

For one, it bonded the community more, as

the village folks themselves constructed the library.

� � � � … in order to have something to read for an assignment given in school, my classmates and I would gather pieces of newspaper used to wrap tuyo (dried fish) ��

172


San Isidro gem Mel Gimmi

I t was back in 2004 when Marycris Oplas, my

Immediate Past President, went looking for a

place to conduct our literacy, health and livelihood

projects.

I proposed at once my hometown, San

Isidro.

San Isidro is a small farming village in the

municipality of Rosario, Batangas. It is poor and

primitive in many ways. Back in the day, in order to

have something to read for an assignment given in

school, my classmates and I would gather pieces of

newspaper used to wrap tuyo (dried fish). During

C H A P T E R 3

Driving the wheel: Musings in the life of a Rotarian


171

accommodate you. Don’t worry about it!”

At the end of my term, I learned that more

than anything else, there are hundreds of ways to

serve our less-privileged countrymen. Similarly,

there are equal number of ways to have fun while

doing so.

Sometimes, there are problems and

unpleasant instances in the club, just like what

would normally erupt in any organization or even

household.

But overall, I can say that the Rotary is one

big happy family that I’m extremely proud to be

part of.

Nonoy served as President of the Rotary Club of Taguig-

Fort Bonifacio for Rotary Year 2006-2007. He does

business development and advocacy work.

170


In the district’s post-Valentine party sponsored by

six clubs, I was asked to be the male emcee. This

would be my second experience (after several

years) to host a big party. I can live off on

spontaneity and very little planning, so I gladly said

“Yes, agree, olrayt!”

On the night of the party, I realized that my

role as emcee did not just entail spicing up the

program with surprises and wacky punch lines. I

also had to be ready to accommodate the

spontaneous requests and announcements from

the audience, especially the heads of the

sponsoring organizations; in this case, my

classmates, the presidents of the

sponsoring Rotary Clubs.

I thought to myself that

one didn’t need Einstein’s brain

or Mother Teresa’s heart to

discern whether a request should

be accommodated or not. Even if

this meant a possible extension

in the program, I told all those

who requested, “Heck, sure, I’ll

� � � � There are hundreds of

ways to serve our less-

privileged countrymen.

Similarly, there are

equal number of ways to

have fun while

doing so ��

DRIVING THE WHEEL | Musings in the life of a Rotarian

33

W hat does it take to be a Rotarian?

As the chapter title suggests, we are going

to look into the life of a Rotarian and discover how

each one ponders upon his/her vocation— a word

that is commonly used in Rotary’s official website

to describe the “calling” to be part of the Rotary

and to live up to its principles.

What is evident among the stories in this

chapter is the idea of service being at the core of

the Rotary. One can not be said to be truly a

Rotarian unless he/she has served, whether as an

organizer or a participant, in any of the Rotary’s

community service projects. Be it a medical

mission, a fund raising event, a school construction

project—name it—chances are, a Rotarian

somewhere out there has probably done it.

34


And for good reasons. As one president

would share, service is Rotary’s own way of

deepening the bond that exists among its

members. It is an opportunity to meet like-minded

individuals, who don’t mind giving up a portion of

their time, effort and resources to promote projects

meant to uplift other people’s lives. Rotary, after

all, cannot be a club for its own sake. It must be a

club in the service of others.

We have expounded on the idea of service

in Chapter 2. Service, however, is better done than

said. Rotarians are all too aware of this. In this

chapter, you will read some first-hand stories that

may hopefully move you to do your part in

rendering service to others.

Who knows how much the Rotary has done

for the community? The smile on the lips, the

twinkle in the eyes, the tears on the cheeks, the joy

in the hearts of those whose lives Rotarians have

touched are unquantifiable, but they speak

volumes about just how much change a civic

organization can do.

In this chapter, you will also find out how


169

happy speaker … so this meeting is adjourned!”

In our Yahoo! Group for all club presidents

and district officers, I maintain regular

communication with my fellow presidents or my

“classmates.” Many of them really put a lot of effort

and dedication in their club projects, including

joint ones with the district leadership or with other

clubs.

Such dedication, warmth and sense of

humor deserve praises. In my case, I exaggerate my

way of praising them. For instance, instead of just

saying, “It was a fun-filled induction (or charter

anniversary) party,” I’d write in my weekly

message, “It was a slam-dunkin-swayin-rockin-n-

rollin-evenin’ held by the club!”

A number of my classmates and district

officers told me that they enjoyed reading my

postings, and they really flatter me! Well, these

guys are industrious, and I can only attempt to

level their efforts by being a hardworking writer!

Being with the Rotary Club also helped me

to hone and showcase any talent that I have in me.

168


From meetings to projects to parties—Rotary

is lots of fun Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr.

I come from a small club that relatively does not

have much projects. However, this does not

stop us in any way from turning our weekly

meetings into lively occasions.

For instance, whenever we had a joint

meeting with other clubs in the District, I opened

the meeting by saying, “On behalf of my club and

of our happiness, I call this meeting to order.”

Or if we have a speaker, I would close the

meeting by saying, “I am happy, you are happy,

everybody is happy listening to the ideas of our


35

some Rotarians discovered what it means to be

one— sometimes the hard way! It will come as no

surprise that quite a number of them, business and

civic leaders at that, shy away from the presidency

for various reasons. But for every nominee who

declines, a brave soul steps forward and takes the

cudgels for the club. A difficult task is what he/she

will find, but one that is nevertheless enriching and

fulfilling.

In return, whether they are discovering

their vocation as Rotarians or are busy helping

others, it is their lives that are changed—hopefully

forever! The symbol of the Rotary being a wheel,

stories on this chapter makes one realize how it

means to drive that wheel.

Let us now take a peek into the life of a

Rotarian.


167

And it's for the curious, the doubtful, and

the indifferent to discover.

Rhoda served as Assistant Governor for service projects for Rotary Year 2006-2007. She was barely in her thirties when she was elected president of Rotary Club Makati Dasmariñas (1999-2000), becoming the youngest president in the district then.

166


In retrospect, however,

the fun was not really in the

parties themselves or some

other socializing activity.

Rather, it was in the fact that as

we were enjoying the company

of friends, we had, first and

foremost, helped our less

privileged fellowmen by

touching and improving their

lives through our projects.

The fun is in the fact that after

immeasurable amounts of sacrifice—be it time,

effort, or money—there we were, celebrating

service and friendship.

Today's young generation may perhaps

view the Rotary as I did many years back.

Two things are true, though. One: then and

now, the Rotary Club enriches lives, both to those

of the club members and the beneficiaries.

And two: there is fun in the Rotary.

� � � � The fun is in the fact that after

immeasurable amounts of sacrifice …

there we were, celebrating service and

friendship ��


37

First and last impressions Ignacio Pablo

I t was a story of first impressions that never

lasted.

In some odd way, I initially thought the

Rotary Club to be elitist, exclusive and eccentric. I

thought it was nothing but a group of people

sharing stories and hearty chuckles over expensive

cocktails in luxury hotels. I was held back by the

impression and was reluctant to the invitation of

my boss way back then. But after some more

prodding, I indulged anyway, figuring it was the

only way I would be able to confirm my thoughts.

And I realized I was wrong.

38


Instead of being in the middle of useless

chatter that I had rashly expected, I found myself

in a discussion of social projects instead. A feeding

program for a community in Pateros was the object

of the discussion and, upon learning that I was into

nutrition, they asked me if I could be of help.

I saw it was a noble cause and decided to

say a quick yes. That yes led to another yes and

another yes and another yes. Soon, I decided to

dedicate myself to the organization.

I soon led the setting up of a soup kitchen

for preschoolers, and, with my background, I led

the project with a multidisciplinary approach.

Small though our project was at first, our

catchphrase was something more universal: “Feed

the children, build the nation.” Various

organizations believed in our aim to look after the

health of schoolchildren and gave us funds to

realize our goals.

Aside from the feeding program, we formed

a Nutrition Information program to educate the


165

memory. It was there when some of our male

colleagues did the limbo rock, clad in their floral

shirts and white pants, singing an old Davey

Crocket song off-key. Everybody just went gaga

over them.

There was also a parody of the then popular

gag show segment Ang Dating Doon. With three of

my fellow presidents acting as Brod Pete, Brod

Basa, and Brod Tulog, everybody just died laughing

at their witty question-and-answer portion, which

was mostly impromptu.

Meanwhile, the girls, including me, just

opted to dance the Macarena on that night of

cultural presentations. Had we recorded the

program on video, it would have become an object

for blackmail!

And then came those somewhat indulgent

nights of inductions and conferences. Apparently,

the Rotary wasn't the killjoy organization I once

had in my mind!

I’m actually having fun, I thought.

164


year 1999—I was inducted president of RC Makati

Dasmariñas. My batch of presidents had a moniker

for us—“The Millennium Presidents or Mill P's"—

which gave us some kind of prestige unique among

presidents the Rotary will ever have. Unique as we

were, I believe we were a batch to remember as a

circle of friends one would find difficult to forget.

It was during our Presidents-Elect Training

Seminar (PETS) when I first met the 57 new

additions to my treasure chest of pals and gals. Boy,

did we have fun!

At first, however, we were all so stiff and

conscious, trying to feel our way amongst one

other. During the lectures, everyone was attentive

and generally quiet. Some even took the effort of

jotting down notes. Never did it occur to me that

this group of executives and professionals would

soon morph into a boisterous batch of club

presidents, the bane of any District Governor!

Which was what exactly happened.

In one of our official outings, we unleashed

a series of wacky events all for the sake of Rotary's

spirit of fellowship. They are still fresh in my


39

mothers of the school children we fed. We also had

food production lessons and livelihood projects for

the families.

We knew that a project should be

sustained, and this could be done by helping others

help themselves. We knew we had to go beyond

giving our beneficiaries what they needed; we knew

we had to provide them technical know-how to

carry on with what we have given them.

That project began a series of initiatives

that sought to aid the poor in our communities:

teaching them to raise ducks, reaching out to Mt.

Pinatubo victims, ensuring ample water supply to

certain barangays.

In each of these projects,

there had been doubts at the

back of our minds as to whether

or not we could pull it off. But

thanks to the Rotary Foundation

and all the groups that

supported it, we came to realize

that money would never be a

problem for noble goals and

� � � � We came to realize that money would never be a problem for noble goals and unselfish dreams ��

40


unselfish dreams.

Still, it was not an easy path that we had to

tread. To achieve our goals of serving communities,

we sacrificed time and capitalized on optimism and

our passion to help others. All this paid off, of

course, just with all the grateful smiles we always

saw in the faces of the people we have touched in

our own simple way. It was all rewarding.

Now, we are concentrating our efforts in

ensuring the continuity of the projects we have

started, optimizing all the available resources and

training new leaders who can take over what we

have begun—leaders who have compassion for

others, who think beyond themselves and believe

in the nobility of losing oneself in the service of

others.

From my bad impressions that lasted so

soon, it’s now a story of us trying to leave behind

lasting good impressions in the name of service.

Nash served as District Committee Chairman of The Rotary Foundation for Rotary Year 2006-2007.


163

And the carefree girl that I was, it did feel

nice inside to be able to alleviate some people's

miseries.

As the years passed by, it was like that. My

dad was active in Rotary projects, I in my studies.

Then I moved to the States to work on my master's

degree.

After several strenuously wonderful years

there, I came back to the Philippines. And guess

what my father gave me as a welcome-home-hija

gift—a proposal for me to join the Rotary!

I was taken aback.

Me, joining the Rotary? But, goodness

gracious, it's for old people!

After a period of hesitation, eventually I did

join, but with flawed conviction. Little did I know

what marvelous surprises I would encounter there

and how many myths about the Club I would soon

shatter.

At the dawn of the third millennium—the

162


Rotary is for oldies? Ma. Rhodora R. Salas

A s a child—and perhaps even as a

teenager—I would not associate the word

“fun” with the boring noun that is spelled as “R-O-

T-A-R-Y.”

No. Never.

Well, perhaps it was fun for my dad and his

fellow Rotarian friends (many of them I called

"Tito"). I can still remember going out with them to

do community service projects like dental and

medical missions, donating wheelchairs for

handicapped people—practically stuff generous old

people do.


41

True rewards

Doris E. Yu

D uring my term, I learned that for a person

to be fully Rotarized, he or she has to be

President. Being the captain of the ship, I was able

to experience the wonderful world of service and

fellowship.

Fulfillment of having it done is just but a

portion of the story. The true reward of service

came with meeting the people I had the privilege of

serving.

One project closest to my heart was "Every

Child, A Reader," a reading and feeding program

we did for an hour and a half every Saturday for six

42


months. We had momentous times like when a

child would show progress, and depressing times

when we could not convince the parents to bring

their child to the program.

One incident I will

never forget for the rest of

my life was when one par-

ticular child was not eating

his food. When we asked

him why he was not eating,

he said he was saving it for

his family.

My heart suddenly sank.

I could not help but think that it is in times

like these when we should reflect on our personal

issues to see just how small they are compared to

the issues being faced by other people in society.

It is also in times like these when I feel

grateful for the opportunities that I have. That inci-

dent truly made me take another look at my life. It

made me realize how much more I should help

people like that child, and how I should stop com-

� � � � When we asked him why

he was not eating, he said

he was saving it for his family ��


161

This question caught his

attention, and he fixed his

unblinking eyes on me for 5.8

seconds. Then he said, “I am the

Pres i dent o f H yundai

Corporation.”

My blood froze; I could

barely breathe.

How dare of me to forget

that I could be rubbing elbows or sharing drinks

with or asking stupid questions to presidents or

CEOs of large companies in Rotary activities!

Fortunately, another seatmate, the

beautiful Teresita Sanchez of RC Makati Uptown,

butted in and asked a question. I was immediately

kicked out of the hot seat, thank God.

I was saved by the belle.

Julie served as President of the Rotary Club of Las Piñas for Rotary Year 2006-2007. She owns a catering business.

� � � � How dare of me to forget that I could be rubbing elbows with… presidents or CEOs of large companies in Rotary activities ��

160


presidents-elect were to have a meeting. Most of

my colleagues were already there when I arrived,

chatting and bustling through tables and against

each other. Soon someone directed me to the table

where seated was a group of elected presidents

from Makati. They were already talking to one

another like old friends.

I sat and began feeling rather out of place.

Something urged me, however, to break the ice and

talk to my seatmate, but I was at a loss for clues on

how to start. Then I just went for it—I asked for his

name and the club he represents.

“Conrad Marty,” he said, “RC Makati.”

I asked him what business he was involved

in, and he quickly replied he was into “selling cars.”

Meanwhile, the conversation around the

table continued. I, however, was busy pondering

what more I could say to that handsome salesman.

So I asked again.

“So, Conrad, aside from selling cars, what

do you do?”


43

plaining about problems in my life. After that ex-

perience, I just had to be thankful for everything

that I have.

At the end of my term, my gratitude goes

out to the people behind my being a Rotarian and

President. Thank you for allowing me to have, not

just the experience, but the realization of a lifetime.

Doris served as President of the Rotary Club Parañaque Southwest for Rotary Year 2006-2007.

44


The Reluctant President Edwin Afzelius

I t was a Thursday evening in July 1985 when a

friend introduced me to the Rotary Club of Las

Piñas. Being a new resident of the city, I was in

search for friends and a group to belong to. The

Rotary, I saw, could provide me exactly that.

Besides, doing community service has always been

part of my life, even during my youth.

It turned out that the Rotary would give me

more than a sense of belonging: now I have a large

circle of friends and have acquired invaluable

lessons on life and leadership that I would never

trade for anything.


159

The million-dollar question Julie R. Rabe

H aving just been elected president of my

club, I had been feeling nervous and a bit

insecure about my leadership skills, especially that

induction night was coming in fast. But thanks to

the Presidents-Elect Training Seminar (PETS)

during the summer of 2006, I soon became

confident and quite sure of my plans for our club.

But this was not after experiencing my life’s

most embarrassing moment there.

The April heat was negligible inside the

room at the Makati Sports Club where we

158


became my inspiration in trying to propel my club

to glory. It was little wonder that soon our club

harvested eight district awards.

Certainly, with a “locked in” commitment

of the president and the support of the club

members, success is a piece of cake with a cherry

on top.

Cora served as President of the Rotary Club of Parañaque Lakambini for Rotary Year 2004-2005. She is an avid golfer and a watercolor painter.


45

The years since I joined the Rotary gave me

opportunities to serve the club in different ways.

First, I assumed simple club assignments such as

committee chairmanships, followed by club

directorships, then the office of the club secretary

for three straight years.

Then the earth shook. I was elected

President of the Rotary Club of Las Piñas in 1994.

Faced with a club with only five (out of 20)

members attending regular meetings, I was

adamant in refusing to take the presidency. Club

membership and attendance were awfully poor. I

hesitated for the longest time, until the insistent

prodding of Past District Governor Willy Segovia

finally pushed me to take up the challenge and

commit myself to reviving the club.

I surmised that to put

back life to the club, I knew I

had to invest on my members,

especially my core group.

Change had to start from

within. Thus, with the handful of men that I had, I

began to reinvent the club, partly by putting on

� � � � Change had to start from within ��

46


new people into the core group. I outlined to them

the principles to which my administration would

adhere: sincerity, transparency, dedication.

Soon enough, we began to see our phoenix

of a club rise from its ashes. Membership began to

grow. First, we brought in our friends, most of

whom were business people. Then, these friends

brought in their friends. The increase was almost

exponential!

Now the big challenge was how to keep the

members at it, how to keep their zeal to serve ever

ablaze. So we banked in on activities that fostered

fellowship and genuine service to the youth and

the poor. We strove to make everyone happy being

a Rotarian.

Indeed, all these instances made the club

take flight again, but not without costing us huge

personal sacrifices.

Then, after my term as president of RC Las

Piñas, I was assigned to several district-wide

positions throughout the rest of the '90s and the

early 2000s. Those were tiring years.


157

unwelcome burden for me.

Rather, it was my sweet

yoke, having to lead and

serve my club, not so much

for our own good but for

the good of our less

privileged brothers and

sisters.

Being elected president was like being

“locked in” because no matter what you do, you

just can’t get away from your duties and

responsibilities; otherwise your club dies, dishonor

haunts you, and other people suffer.

My members who helped me “escape” also

proved that members’ support for the president is

crucial in running an effective club. My members’

summons for repairs people that night still resound

in my head.

Do anything to break that door. Our

president is locked in, and we can’t start anything

without her!

Indeed, throughout my term, that incident

� � � � Certainly, with a “locked in” commitment ... success is a piece of cake with a cherry on top ��

156


familiar voice, probably to a utility man. “Our

president is locked in, and we can’t start anything

without her! Cora, don’t worry, we’ll get you out of

there.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Despite our helplessness, my hairdresser

and I just stayed calm. Noticing my hairdresser’s

harassed look, however, I knew I was calmer than

he was. At the same time, I was beginning to

realize things.

Meanwhile, the hubbub outside continued.

I could hear my members asking the building’s

repairs personnel to destroy the lock at all cost. But

30 long minutes still had to pass before the lock

was finally extricated. When I got out, I

immediately joined my members at the crowded

hall amid music and food, as if nothing happened.

Then the program started.

In retrospect, my being locked in

symbolized the absolute commitment demanded

on me as club president. That—for lack of a better

term—“imprisonment,” however, was in no way an


47

So when I moved to Alabang and joined the

Rotary Club there, I thought it was finally time for

me to rest and cherish my family and friends 100

percent. I was wrong. Little did I know that this

new club would again catapult me to the

presidency.

This definitely gave me the chills, as I was

basically a new member and the legacy of its past

presidents was rather demanding. How was a

newcomer to lead such an already-prestigious

club? Besides, assuming such a position was

already the least of my priorities.

Yet again, after some coaxing from my

friends, I eventually took on the now-familiar yet

essentially different challenge.

Before long we were already doing several

projects, the flagship of which is the support we

extended to the Tuloy sa Don Bosco Street Children

Center under the care of the Tuloy Foundation.

Founded in 1993 by Fr. Rocky Evangelista, Tuloy

houses hundreds of children aged 9-18 at a

compound just across Alabang Town Center. Here

children are fed, clothed, sheltered, and educated,

48


preparing them to enter mainstream society

equipped with technical skills and sound values.

Now, as I end my term in July, I look back

to a year full of discovery, joys, and pains. It has

been worthwhile. Aside from family and friends,

now I have Tuloy, a piece of heaven for street

children on earth. Retiring from the presidency, I

plan to make Tuloy known abroad, primarily

through Rotary International, so more donations

would pour in. We just can’t keep the Tuloy

“magic” a secret!

Twice have I hesitated to become club

president and twice have I taken on the challenge

armed only with a desire to serve. Thanks in most

part to generous and committed colleagues, the

clubs I headed (which I initially refused) came out

garnering many awards—credible proof of having

served hundreds of people, making profound

changes in their lives.

True, my fellow

Rotarians and I ended up with

less money, energy, and time

for rest after carrying out all

� � � � By having less, we ended up

having more��


155

something wrong with its lock. We shouldn’t close

it; otherwise we might not be able to open it again,

as it didn’t have keys.

Then one of my club members came in.

“The governor is here!” she announced

excitedly. “How much time do you need to be

done?”

“Um, a few minutes,” I replied. “Oh, and

please leave the door ajar; something’s wrong with

it.”

But, preoccupied with all the induction

jitters and excitement, she hurried out the door

and—

SLAM!

I gasped; my hairdresser screamed. The

door was shut, and now we were locked in!

I heard my members panicking outside.

Some of them sounded hysterical.

“Do anything to break that door,” said a

154


Open sesame! Corazon E. Tan

S LAM. Gasp. Scream. The thing I dreaded

happened.

It was the night of my induction as

president of the Rotary Club of Parañaque

Lakambini. Fixing me up for the annual gala at one

of Manila’s grandest halls, my hairdresser-cum-

makeup artist was carefully daubing rouge on my

cheeks, making sure his mistress comes out as the

night’s Helen of Troy.

My mind, meanwhile, was on a totally

different thing: the dressing room’s door. We were

warned a few minutes ago that there was


49

those projects. But by having less, we ended up

having more—friends, generosity, and shining

legacies for generations to come.

Edwin served as President of The Rotary Club of Alabang for Rotary Year 2006-2007. He has been named Most Outstanding Club President.

50


Worth the sacrifice Noe B. Indonto

J oining organizations was not new to me.

I was active in different organizations even

during my teens. I also led a large organization

called the Kabataang Barangay in my home city of

Oroquieta. Even after my college days, I was active

in other civic and community organizations.

All of these experiences combined served as

a very good baptism of fire in instilling the

leadership qualities that I needed in a big position

that I took on later in life.

There is this innate character in me to


153

and fellowship. These folks will always be in my

heart, for it is with them that I took my first steps

into the world of Rotary.

Rose served as President of the Rotary Club Makati Legaspi for Rotary Year 2006-2007. She plays the piano

well, and cooks just as wonderfully.

152


were not enough to carry it. The people were

asked to line up, and as expected, some people fell

in line again after consuming their share. It didn’t

matter much in the end though—it was a fiesta for

the whole barangay, and everyone was happy.

I’ve returned to Tuhian twice since then,

but this time as President of the group that once

upon a time allowed me to tag along as a guest.

Working with the Rotarians shattered my

encompassing preconceptions about the club.

Surely it deserves some flak at times, but Rotary, as

I found out, is service at its best.

As I led in the distribution of wheelchairs,

the turning over of a new water well and a laundry

facility, the inauguration of a hardwood seedling

bank and the delivery of the first batch of books for

the library for Tuhian Elementary School, every

smile and every pat on the shoulder seemed to

affirm that bond that has developed between

myself and the people of Tuhian.

Every trip back to Tuhian is a homecoming,

a tribute to the sealing of a partnership with service


51

easily get involved in a group. So much so that

when a Rotarian business partner, Francis de

Guzman, invited me to join the Rotary Club of Las

Piñas Camino Real, I did not hesitate to attend the

meeting.

During that time, I had stopped becoming

active in other organizations because of the

business problems experienced by our real estate

company, Oroquieta Properties, during the Asian

Financial Crisis. But my innate desire was too

strong for me to resist the Rotary.

Before long, I was already being inducted as

our club’s 7th President!

My election as President came as a surprise

to me. I never saw it coming. I had only been with

the club for less than a year at that time and so I

felt that I was not qualified.

I was also unprepared financially. I knew

that my company’s unstable financial condition

needed my full attention. But yet again, my

personal instinct and my desire to be of service to

others prevailed over my personal worries. I

52


accepted the position even with very limited

personal resources.

Despite the challenges that I had to face

that time, it proved to be one of the best decisions I

ever made in my life

Being with the

Rotary teaches you a lot of

things. On my part, I learned

during the President Elect

Training Seminar (PETS), an

activity that prepares the

future Rotary Club President

for his job, that as a Rotarian

you should be willing to share your three T’s: time,

talent and treasure.

The instability of my business restricted

me from giving it all to the club. Nevertheless, my

acceptance of the club’s presidency was anchored

with the hope that, prior to assuming the position,

my business would fully recover and be financially-

sound again—-and it did. But I was still worried,

knowing that my time, talent and treasure would

be divided between the business and my club.

� � � � I learned … that as a

Rotarian you should be willing

to share your three T’s: time,

talent and treasure ��


151

I was up and running by 4:00 a.m. the next

day, and I was able to watch the first batches of

people trickle into the site by 5:30. The first

patients were attended to half an hour later, and

everything ran smoothly.

Things got more interesting as noon

approached, with military vehicles bringing in

more people to the site. I watched as little kids

lined up to wait for their turn at the dentist’s chair,

poker-faced, without worries. I contrasted this with

memories of bribing my sons with ice cream just to

make them undergo a simple prophylaxis. And

here, these little kids open their mouths wide when

they’re told to, awing me with their deportment.

As the ranks of people in the site did not

appear to thin out, what was

scheduled to be a half-day

affair loomed longer. Soon it

became clear that I would

have to prepare something

for the people as well. I

cooked such an amount of

pancit bihon (a common

noodle dish) that five men

� � � � Working with the Rotarians shattered my encompassing preconceptions about the

club ��

150


It was, after all, my friend’s birthday celebration,

and we arrived a day early just for the occasion.

Among Catanauan’s charms are its beaches,

and the medical mission camp was set near an

especially pristine one in a Rotarian’s house in

Barangay Tuhian. This barangay, for some reason,

did not enjoy the same advancements that the

neighboring towns enjoyed. No signal reached our

mobile phones. There was a dearth of potable

water. Tuhian did have a well, but it was green with

mosses and neglect.

My pampered years in Manila made me

hesitant to dip my hands into the water, and the

sight of carabaos contentedly basking in water

pools by the well did not help my imagination.

Tuhian was also desolate in some places,

such that distances signified by a local’s "diyan

lang" (lit. just over there, i.e., it’s near) took twenty

minutes to cover. Dirt paths led to other dirt paths.

I was thankful we were able to purchase everything

we needed in Manila, as there were no grocery

stores nearby.


53

One of the most important lessons that I

learned was that as the club’s president, I had to

deal not only with my own problems but the club

members' as well.

In one instance, during a campaign for the

members' perfect attendance to club meetings, a

Rotarian told me, “I am very sorry Mr. President. I

cannot attend the meetings and the other activities

of the club anymore because I have problems with

my business.”

I asked him the extent of his problem and

learned that his was just minuscule compared to

mine. There were 29 members at that time and I

was not willing to lose any of them. That is why I

did not hesitate to reveal to him my personal

problems with my business. Upon hearing it, he

was taken aback.

I also gave him advice, telling him that the

Rotary experience can aid him in finding solutions

to his business problems. After that, he attended all

the meetings of the club.

Being with Rotary, I realized that having

54


limited resources is not a

hindrance to helping people.

I find it amusing sometimes.

I've heard some Rotarians

say that one must have a lot

in order for him to give and

help.

But I believe it is far

better to give and help when you have little

because this shows true sacrifice. Sacrifice, for me,

is the essence of service.

There were times during my term when I

had to sacrifice a part of the family budget in order

to give something to the ones in need. My four kids

sometimes had to make do with their small

allowances because I had to pay the dues of the

club. There was even one family vacation that had

to be postponed because a large amount was

needed as contribution for a project.

All these I did because of my belief in the

Rotary motto of “service above self.”

It is quite heartening to see in the eyes of

� � � � I believe it is far better to give

and help when you

have little because this

shows true sacrifice ��


149

rubber slippers together with the obvious

necessities like alcohol, cotton and drinking water.

I thought that the slippers were for us, and I

naturally thought it superfluous, since the

delegation members were already asked to bring

their own. She explained that the slippers were to

be given to the people. It was my first glimpse into

what we will find in Catanauan, that little

municipality which would be the site of our

mission.

The day finally came when we left for

Catanauan. I fetched the military doctors from

Camp Aguinaldo at two in the morning, and a

couple of hours later we transferred to a bus and

went on our way. The delegation was rather large,

with Rotarians, doctors, dentists, and media men

numbering about fifty in all.

I only had an idea of how far-flung

Catanauan was after we passed by Lucena—where

we entered stretches of unpaved roads rumored to

be within NPA (New People’s Army) strongholds.

We had few reasons to grumble, though, as the

seemingly endless journey through ramshackle

roads finally led us to a welcome fiesta at the end.

148


participate in a Rotary-organized medical mission

in Quezon.

It happened back in

2002, when I was not yet a

member of the club. I had

my own notions of the

Rotary as a group of elitists

who would not dare roll up

their sleeves lest their

fingernails get dirty.

On a personal note, I knew how much my

friend was fond of throwing parties in upscale

establishments. And so I was surprised when she

told me that she will be celebrating her birthday

during the medical mission! I was resolved to

decline the offer, until she assigned me to oversee

the food preparation. The chance to feed a

mission’s workforce was something I just could not

refuse, and so I became a volunteer cook!

A few days before we left for Quezon, my

friend asked me to accompany her to go shopping

for supplies that would be needed for the mission. I

was a bit surprised to find ourselves hauling bags of

� � � � I was surprised when

she told me that she will be

celebrating her birthday during

the medical mission! ��


55

the people that we meet their realization that all is

not hopeless, that there are still people who are

willing to help them.

This is the case with a community, whose

families are mostly informal settlers, that the Club

adopted in Pilar, Las Piñas. We helped the

residents to put up their own cooperative by giving

them funds to start a micro-financing endeavour.

We also tried to give them livelihood programs by

providing them skills training in making bags and

operating a bakery.

Despite everything that I had to go

through, nothing can replace the joy and

fulfillment that I felt when I was serving others.

It was all worth the sacrifice.

Nonoy served as President of the Rotary Club of Las Piñas-Camino Real for Rotary Year 2006-2007. He lives with his wife Cherry and their four children, the youngest two of which are twins.

56


Little things, big discoveries

Bernardita B. Rivadeneira

M y Rotary story goes back to my high

school days, when I became a part of

Interact, a Rotary initiative for young students.

Eventually, I took part in the activities of Rotaract

during college. Later on, I became the director of

these clubs for eight years.

Rotary Osaka generously granted me a

scholarship, which enabled me to study high

school and college. After I finished my degree and

received my diploma, I worked as a telephone

operator, earning 1,800 pesos a month. I wanted to

join the Rotary that time, but felt like I won’t be

able to contribute much to finance the


147

Unusual birthday party Ma. Rosario Acoba

G rowing up in the neighborhood of the

nation’s most active volcano and the

many nefarious storms that blast Albay annually

accustomed me to the difficulties of assisting in

relief operations.

Aiding people in need, I learned, involved

sweat, toil and soreness of limb. All those summer

camps and outreaches I went to as a young lady

made it clear to me that these undertakings spared

no room for glittery things.

This mindset probably explains my initial

misgivings upon being invited by a friend to

146


development of acquaintances that bestows endless

opportunities for service.

Because in the end, really, there are no

losers.

Everyone who participated, everyone who

exerted an effort, everyone who ran the race—they

all came out of the marathon that is the Rotary

with a brand new perspective in life: that service is

not just about helping others in their material

needs.

It is also about giving yourself: to be able to

laugh with your peers, to be able to positively

exchange anecdotes of joy, to be able to appreciate

the color and diversity of the quirks and

uniqueness of the people in your group.

Rotary enables you to learn to be happy

with the simple joys in life.

In Chapter 3, we tackled some of the

discoveries of Rotarians on how it means to live up

to the demands of the club. On a lighter side, let us

now take a look into some of the amusing stories in

the lives of Rotarians …


57

organization’s projects.

When I acquired the position of Manager in

2000, I decided to join. In the next five years, I was

tasked to assume several positions in the club. And

in the Rotary’s LEAD year, I became the President

of my district.

When I was elected as President, I had a lot

of doubts and worries. I wondered if I was really

ready to take on such a big responsibility. You see,

the year before I became President was the year our

club experienced turmoil.

It was truly a big test—our club was on the

brink of dissolving as members either left or were

preparing to leave due to reasons I will no longer

discuss. Also, I started my term five months earlier

than scheduled, and this was very, very demanding.

I inherited a bank account without money,

plus a list of "payables." The club literally did not

have anything—we neither had bond paper to use,

nor a secretary to assist us.

There was no momentum to build on, and

58


members were losing their

fire to join and serve in the

club’s activities. During our

weekly meetings, only

three or four people would

show up. It was so

frustrating that I would

have sleepless nights

thinking of the best remedy

to empower my club.

I began by looking at myself. I only had a

single objective, and that was to help. It was that

simple. I thought that if everyone kept this in

mind, they can be happy without much

complications.

Within the club, I tried to forge

connections by encouraging the members to treat

each other as brothers and sisters would.

Friendships helped a lot in setting an excellent

mood in our club.

After a few months, the situation became

better. People started seeing clearly the objective of

each project that we initiated. On my part, I

� � � � I only had a single objective, and that was to

help ... I thought that if everyone

kept this in mind, they can be happy

without much complications ��

145

L ife in the Rotary is just like a marathon.

You give it your all, you perspire, you

thirst—all for the good of the ones sitting on the

stands: your peers, your supporters, your family.

Your heart is not rooted on personal

triumph, but on service. You run tirelessly for the

sake of making the world a better place to live in.

But you also grasp that building world

fellowship, goodwill and peace entails not just your

wisdom and courage, but also your sense of humor

that appreciates the little surprises that spring up.

You see that making friends with your co-

runners is better than just running alone. It is the


59

followed up members, and offered to fetch and

even feed them!

Attendance in the weekly meetings grew up

to 25! We were even recognized as having the

highest membership growth among all 75 clubs in

District 3830.

Whenever I remember these experiences, I

always think that dissolving the club was so easy to

do back then—it only took a click on the Internet

web page, in fact.

But you know, the little things enabled me

to continue.

Our club founded the Samahan ng may

Kapansanan (Group of Disabled) in order to help

disabled people from Barangay Bangkal, Makati.

We were able to lend a hand to 214 people of all

ages by giving them a chance at livelihood projects,

and a center with complete facilities.

If we didn’t have this little treasure of a

project, I would have closed the club. It touched

me in ways I cannot explain.

60


I can really say that the lessons that I

acquired as President are truly, uniquely priceless.

Barbie served as President of the Rotary Club of Makati Buendia for Rotary Year 2006-2007. She is the President of an international freight forwarding company.

C H A P T E R 4

Club bites: Amusing stories in the

life of a Rotarian


142

felt that it was well worth it.

I feel glad that I was given the chance to be

a part of the mission. Hopefully this project will

continue, through the help of the club’s friends and

donors. We want to share the feeling of fulfillment

after helping other people. We want to share to

others the feeling of putting a smile on a child’s

face.

Fely served as President of Rotary Club Makati Rockwell for Rotary Year 2006-2007. She works in the fields of baking and public relations.


61

Giving and living Jose G. Josol

I feel so lucky to have been given the chance to

touch the lives of my fellowmen who are in dire

need of humble service.

A year after I served as the Club President, I

was granted the opportunity to become the Deputy

District Committee Chair of the Interact Program

and the District Coordinating Chair for the Service

to Youth Groups.

Handling the Youth Development Program

of the district for almost five years now has

enlivened my Rotary spirit and has enabled me to

62


further my knowledge in

Rotary International’s Youth

Program. It also provided me a

venue to propagate the

Interact and Rotaract

Programs in the district.

Surrounded by teenagers and

young adults of both

programs, I felt extremely

young at heart!

When I was young, I was told that young

people are the hope of the nation. To this day, I

still believe that. It is this very belief that I try to

instill in the minds of our Interactors and

Rotaractors every time we organize activities for

them.

One of these activities is the New

Generation Conference where we invited notable

speakers who all shared their experiences and

knowledge to some 500 young people of the

District. We initiated the event in the hope that the

speakers' insights would help the youth in living

better lives.

� � � � When I was young, I was

told that young people

are the hope of the nation. To

this day, I still believe that ��


141

leave the operating room because I felt

uncomfortable seeing a tiny tot being operated. I

could not look at her face due to the blood. If I

stayed any longer, I would have fainted.

Almost an hour later, her surgery ended.

Jonevie was rolled off the recovery room to the next

room. As she woke up from the anesthesia, she felt

confused and cried. Her mother came to comfort

her.

W h e n J o n e v i e ’ s

mother turned to see her

daughter, tears of joy fell from

her eyes. With the girl cradled

in her lap, she wept as she

gazed at her daughter’s new

face.

I stayed in the hospital until all the kids

were operated on just to make sure that everything

turned out fine. One by one, children placed in the

arms of their joyful parents were brought out of the

surgery room with restored faces.

Despite the exhausting hours of waiting, I

�� With the girl cradled in her lap, she wept as she gazed at her daughter’s new face ��

140


Rockwell and the Philippine Band of Mercy. The

messages that they wrote showed how thankful the

parents were.

At 10:00 a.m. that day, I talked to the head

Surgeon Dr. Esquejo and the anesthesiologist Dr.

Casilang to ask how the operations would go. I also

sought permission to enter the operating room to

observe. They gladly agreed. As a hospital routine, I

put on a green robe and covered my hair with the

hospital cap. There I was, I thought, just like one of

the medical team members.

Inside the room, the mood was tense yet at

the same time exciting.

The operating area was dimly lit with only a

few lights on top of the operation table. The

surgeon started to work on the youngest of them

all, Jonevie. Little Jonevie is eight months old and I

immediately felt attached to the child the first time

I saw her. In fact, everyone she met turned out to

be quite fond of her because the kid loves to smile

a lot.

After fifteen minutes inside, I decided to


63

Another activity of such nature is the Voice

of the Youth Impromptu Speaking Competition

where some 20 high school students from all over

the country were invited to speak their minds on

certain controversial topics that concern young

people all over the world.

Personally, the most memorable experience

was when I brought some 20 Southville

International School students to the Elsie Garces

Home for the Mentally Retarded for a Christmas

party. The experience gave them the opportunity to

mingle with the residents.

At first, I noticed that the students were

quite hesitant to approach the residents because of

their unusual behaviour. Some even hid behind

their group mates so as not to be noticed by the

residents. But eventually, after a few games and

some snacks, the students eased up and felt

comfortable spending time with the residents.

Some even insisted on extending their stay. They

must have realized how fortunate they were to be

living less-complicated lives.

64


It was inspiring for me

to discover how a single club

can affect the lives of

hundreds of other families. I

learned this when we

conducted a medical and

dental mission in Tondo,

Manila. We never expected

that a huge crowd—around 600 families—would

show up for the event. Our medical volunteers—

ten doctors and seven assistants—admirably

attended to the patients who did not mind the long

queue just to get their free check-ups.

Never did I felt bored in any of the Rotary’s

activities. I especially enjoyed talking to my fellow

Rotarians, and the young people of the Interactors

and the Rotaractors. I did my best to inspire them

with kind words. I also allowed them to inspire me

with their enthusiasm and unselfish dedication and

commitment to the Rotary’s maxim: service above

self.

Definitely, I have gained a lot by giving

myself to others through Rotary. Leading the way

in sharing our club's blessings to others in need

� � � � Definitely, I have gained

a lot by giving myself to

others through Rotary ��


139

end of December, the line up was complete, and

the operations were scheduled on the 20th of

January with the help of the Philippine Band of

Mercy.

On the eve of January 20, fifteen kids were

admitted at the St. Jude Hospital. Two big wards

were occupied by these children aged six months

and above for surgery the following day.

Early morning of the next day, I was at the

hospital looking after the needs of the kids,

coordinating with the hospital administrator, and

talking to the medical team. With me were

President-Elect Ellyn Gorra and Rotarian Kris

Dancel.

We took a few photos and gave some

candies and toys to the kids. We also devoted time

in reassuring the parents of the children that their

kids will turn out fine after the operation.

I also brought with me a poster of the kids,

where I asked the parents to write something to

their children’s benefactors, the Rotary Club of

Tokyo Shinjuku, the Rotary Club of Makati

138


Two years ago, the Rotary Club of Makati

Rockwell led by my Immediate Past President

Lucita Sanchez conducted “Operation Smile” in

Tarlac with the support of the Rotary Club of

Tokyo-Shinjuku.

After seeing the joy in the faces of the

children and adults that we were able to help, I was

inspired to continue the same project during my

term. I knew however that such an endeavor

required sufficient funding and the consolidated

efforts of the members of our club.

When t he group went to Tokyo in

November 2006, the Rotary Club of Makati

Rockwell took the opportunity to thank the Rotary

Club of Tokyo-Shinjuku for the assistance they

extended which paved the way for the successful

surgery of several poor Filipino children in Tarlac.

With the success of that outreach mission,

RC Makati Rockwell brought up the idea of staging

Operation Smile Part 2. And they agreed.

After that trip, I got myself busy finalizing

the list of children that we intended to help. By the


65

was extraordinary—their fulfilment for a better life

became our fulfilment too.

Jojo served as President of The Rotary Club of Las Piñas West for Rotary Year 2001-2002. A native of Bohol, he once considered entering the priesthood.

66


Never too young Ma. Criselda Oplas

W hen I was assigned as the District

Secretary, people were saying that I

was too young for the job. They’re right—I was

only a Junior Rotarian back then.

A big challenge was posed to me—I had to

show everyone that I honestly do not have hidden

motives or ambitions like holding a high position

in the Rotary. I accepted the position in order to

serve the Rotary the best way I knew how. There

was that willingness inside me to accompany the

new Governor in the challenging voyage of leading

the District.


137

Putting a smile on a child’s face

Felisa B. Rosales

T he birth of a child is a joyous event.

But for Edna and Carlos that joy was

shattered the moment they saw their daughter's

face. Josefina's heart was filled with pain when she

saw her little daughter was disfigured. Little

Jonevie’s upper lip was distorted.

Lip and Clef Palate are among the most

common birth defects in the world. In the

Philippines, the cases of oral clefts are estimated

two in every 1,000 live births. People with these

defects experience emotional, psychological and

social trauma.

136


undertaking. Legacies stand because of passion,

hard work and dedication. These are what make

your “time of service the most fulfilling moment of

your life.”

Patti, is from the Rotary Club Makati Jose P. Rizal She headed the Rotary International Annual Convention Promotion Committee for Rotary year 2006-2007.


67

My audit practice and audit firm

management, which involves administrative

matters, were put to good use especially on those

rare occasions when disagreements can not be

avoided. The extensive auditing training helped me

to get by in terms of work pressure.

The first three months were the most

challenging, yet it would be an understatement to

say that the subsequent months were “lean” ones. I

experienced first-hand what many would call the

“Rotary Syndrome.” I could not sleep because of

the anxiety and pressure!

I was adjusting to the

workload demanded by my

position. At the same time, I

was doing my best in fulfilling

my obligations as a mother and

as a professional.

Very often, when club presidents or other

Rotarians would like to talk to our District

Governor to, say, invite him to an important club-

sponsored District activity, many of them would

call me first to ask for the Governor’s whereabouts.

� � � � I was doing my best in fulfilling my obligations as a mother and as a professional ��

68


It is amusing sometimes because some assume that

my position enabled me to know Governor Butch’s

whereabouts 24 hours a day!

Working with the Governor was extremely

enriching. I especially look up to his independent

decision-making. He proved that he was not a

District Governor of only a few, but of the whole

district. I saw this first-hand through the choices

that he made during his term.

From the very beginning

of my term, the District knew

that I was very

straightforward—I say no to

politics, and yes to policy and

procedure; no to popularity, yes

to what is right.

In the end, after months and months of

tough work, people were telling us that they

supported us amidst everything. Here I learned

that credibility can never be bought or be replaced

by anything.

As I look back at all my experiences in the

� � � � I say no to politics, and yes to policy

and procedure; no to popularity, yes to what is

right ��


135

The Bahile Housing Project has turned out

to give a hundred shelters in the capital of Palawan,

changing thousands of lives in the process. It was

fulfilling in the most inexplicable way, and the

project being recognized as the “Most Unique

Shelter Project” was merely icing on the cake, so to

speak.

I could not have

done all these projects

without the support of my

organization and friends,

and I guess the people who will come after us will

have to learn that no leader can accomplish things

on his or her own.

Yes, I gave up many things—even my

hobbies for some time—to be able to carry these

things out. But I have no regrets, knowing our

group has changed lives for the better.

Once in a while, I get asked what the secret

to success is, what one needs to achieve great

things. If there is something I would like to impart

to those who will come after us, it is the fact that a

bright idea can only take you so far in any

�� No leader can accomplish things on his own ��

134


venture in the organization.

Another project my team was involved in

was the Bahile Housing Project in Puerto Prinsesa.

I was still president of the Women in Travel

Club of Manila when, after a seminar, Mayor

Edward Hagedorn showed up in our hotel to meet

with our group to share with us his vision of the

city.

The man was serious. He offered to donate

a huge tract of land if we could initiate a

mechanism to facilitate a housing project for the

poor people of Palawan. My friend, Helen

Bartholomew, and I accepted his offer and when I

assumed the presidency, the offer of donation

became a reality, all 13.7 hectares of it.

This time, our group worked closely with

the Habitat for Humanity, the prime mover of

building homes. Additional financial support

poured into the project, prompting me to always

believe that money and support will never be a

problem to a worthwhile cause.


69

Rotary, I see that everything has been worth it.

Every day of my term, I got to meet wonderful

people. Each day gave me a chance to grow to

become a better person.

Marycris was the Assistant Governor for Administration for Rotary Year 2006-2007 of RI District 3830. She served as the Assistant District Treasurer in 2005-2006 and as President of RC Makati Urdaneta in 2004-2005.

70


Going once, going twice, going ...

Estelita F. Bunye

I can’t blame anyone for being awed with firsts.

It may not seem much when all you have is

a tenth of a second, but that is really all you need

to go from obscurity to immortality. Nobody

teaches schoolchildren the names of people who

created the second telephone, the second Post-it,

or the second polio vaccine. Nobody publishes a

Guinness Book of the World’s Second-Placers.

It’s even been said that bronze medalists

feel better than silver laureates, for as the former

rejoices in snatching the last plum, the latter

languishes in the thought of what could have been.


133

intergovernmental organization. Participants do

research work on the problems of countries, take

on roles as diplomats, investigate international

issues, debate, consult, and come up with possible

solutions to problems.

It was a grand idea, to say the least. And

when Sydney proposed it, I knew it would be an

enduring youth and international service project.

At once, we worked with the International

School, which gave us an idea on how to carry out

the project. For the venue, we had to establish our

contact with the World Health Organization,

which, after a short explanation, believed in the

project we were starting and offered the venue for

free.

The Equitable Group, one of my suppliers,

also pledged to lend us computers and printers for

the first MUN conference we were holding. With

the support of our friends, we were able to pull it

off with little, nay nil, seed money.

This year, MUN is holding its 10th year, and

the project is being contemplated as a compulsory

132


person being groomed to

be the next leader suddenly

resigned. Coming from an

embattled group, I had

nothing in mind but to

finish my term right away.

But knowing the

brand of service and

dedication Rotary Club espouses, I wanted to finish

my term with concrete projects that can be carried

on by future generations. We knew how projects

abound here and there, but it was continuity and

stability that our team was set to achieve.

I was fortunate to have good friends to help

me out during my term. Sydney Bates, who would

later become president herself, had this consuming

passion to institute the Model United Nations

project, whose potentials I saw.

Model United Nations or Model UN

simulates the United Nations, aiming to educate

student-participants about global issues. Here,

students take on roles as foreign diplomats and

participate in a simulated session of an

�� We knew how projects abound

here and there, but it was

continuity and stability that our

team was set to achieve ��


71

Records are prerequisites for recognition, if you go

by the rules of the world.

Towards the end of my second stint as the

President of my club, I was offered to man the

helm again for the following Rotary year. A third

straight term, said some of my friends, has never

been held by any Rotary club president. They even

cited their research, mostly from Internet sources,

to back up their claim.

And it would have been

a record, they said. A first, and

not a bad one too. Being club

president requires at the very

least a commitment to hard

work, which is why to do that

for three straight years is a

legitimate claim to fame.

But for some reason it didn’t sound like an

incentive to me.

I joined the Rotary Club of Muntinlupa in

August 2000, and as a regular member I enjoyed

the club’s fellowships the most. It did not matter

� � � � Being club president requires at the very least a commitment to hard work ��

72


that most of the other members were a lot older

than I was.

Looking back, however, I realized that my

first three years in the club were rather uneventful.

But things did not remain dormant for long. After

my third year, some of our members decided to

break away from our group to form a new one.

This state of affairs marked the year when,

beyond my wildest dreams, I was elected President

of my club for the year 2004-2005—Rotary’s

centennial. I thought the challenge daunting, but I

took solace in Past President Becky Intal who

advised me to just enjoy my term.

They say that every journey begins with the

first step, and for me it was our President Elect

Training Seminar (PETS). I walked into the PETS

conference hall to find myself immersed with

corporate executives, entrepreneurs and

community leaders, and I wondered where a

financial planner and a cook like me could fit in.

And you would be wrong if you thought

that seminars for people like these involved


131

Passion, Hard Work and Dedication

Ma. Paz King

“W hen your time comes, it will be the

most fulfilling moment of your

life.”

These were the words our Charter President

told me before I assumed my first major post in the

Rotary Club. Those were encouraging words, I

thought, from someone who had proved a lot to

someone who had just begun her journey in

serving.

I was not expecting the assignment. After

all, I was merely a fallback president because the

130


communities.

At this point, it is continuity that we are

trying to push for, by molding new leaders who

believe in what a genuine spirit of service can

achieve. I am happy that my two grown-up

children, who I used to bring to sites of the projects

of the organization when they were younger, have

causes to support and are now volunteers

themselves.

And if there is anything the next leaders

can learn from us, I guess it is to serve with

humility, learning how to listen and understand

and being a good example. It is through effective

dialogue and good example that a true leader can

lead the way, shift views when the truth is at stake,

change the lives of many people and yes, leave a

lasting legacy.

Jun Perez is from the Rotary Club of Parañaque Central.

He served as District Governor of RI District 3830 for

Rotary Year 2000-2001.


73

sophisticated case studies and high-end things like

that.

In the PETS, the first thing the facilitators

did was to divide us into teams. We did have case

studies, but we had to do it in the form of

preparing short skits, much like grade school class

sketches. We were also asked to speak before the

whole delegation, and this was something I was not

very comfortable with. Working in the insurance

business trains you to deal with people one on one,

and I found myself agonizing every time I had to

take the floor.

But eventually I got used to it, and there

would even be times when I volunteered to do

introductions or narrations myself. The PETS

worked wonders, especially in bonding the club

presidents for the centennial year—the centennial

“classmates,” as Rotary jargon would put it.

At the end of the seminar, the division into

teams were merely for formality. The classmates

were not divided in any way. We were just one

group, a bit more ready to put ourselves at the

service of our clubs.

74


Amidst all the hard work I had to put in, I

really enjoyed my centennial year. But as the end of

my first term drew near, I realized that I could use

some time out. I was about to step down when it

became clear that nobody in our club wanted to

handle all the responsibilities that came with being

president. I couldn’t bear to leave the club hanging

just like that so I became serving president for the

Rotary’s 101st year—an SP101 if you’re starting to like

Rotarized terms.

Jimmy Cura was the Governor then, and he

was the same person who made my terms more

challenging by convincing me to be active even in

district activities. He once said that if you become a

Rotarian, you gain fifty friends. If you become club

president, you gain 250. A district officer gains 500.

Just imagine how many friends a governor would

have!

I believed him. And I still do until now.

During my two years as president of my club, I did

become rich with friends. As time went on, I found

our projects easier to do, thanks in large part to

these friends of mine who supported us.


129

appreciate the Rotary Club’s

exchange program, where I

acquired a lot of knowledge

on how to work effectively

with my team.

Knowing the

importance of molding the

youth, my team focused on youth-related projects

such as holding conferences and seminars

involving them. We also conducted medical and

dental missions and hosted competitions that

aimed to tap the talents of the young ones. This is

because we realized that it is through these crucial

years of our children that the zeal for service is

assimilated well.

My active involvement with the Rotary

Club was not without sacrifice. As a businessman,

there were times when I had to put the things of

the organization before my own interests, and I

must say I had no regrets at all, what with the sense

of fulfillment one gets from giving without asking

anything in return. In fact, there have been many

instances when I get approached by a grateful

stranger for the projects our team pushed in our

�� Knowing the importance of molding the youth, my team focused on youth-related projects ... ��

128


organizing church activities and heading volunteer

groups myself. At an early age, I learned how

fulfilling it was to give oneself to others.

I therefore had no second thoughts when a

good friend talked to me about joining the Rotary

Club, explaining it as a means to reach out to the

disadvantaged. It was what I had been doing all

along, I thought, and the only logical thing to do

was to continue it.

The Rotary Club was the venue, I realized,

when I went to attend one meeting. Suffice it to say

that in that meeting, where social projects were on

top of the agenda, I instantly felt I belonged.

Soon, I found myself visiting the sites of the

projects and getting myself involved in the details

and not long after, I went to assume the presidency

of our club.

While I had been into social service

practically all my life, assuming the presidency was

a different thing altogether. As president, I had the

burden of coordination with other clubs and

sustaining my members’ drive. That is why I really


75

Governor Cura did give me some minor

headaches by making me a little bit busier during

my second term, but he made up for that. At the

end of my stint as SP101, he convinced our charter

president Resty Santos to take over.

No records were set after all. I did not set

out to establish any. I did all I could for my club

and hopefully, I’ve set a good example for the other

members.

Baby served two terms as President of the Rotary Club of Muntinlupa. She was also the District Committee Chairperson for Social Fellowships for Rotary Year 2006-2007.

76


Serendipity Estelita Ferrera-Brunner

I t all started when the club I chartered on May

24, 2004, the Rotary Club of Makati Rockwell,

was presented at the ballroom of the Westin

Philippine Plaza.

Masato Kaneko was in the audience as part

of the World Community Service Team from Japan.

We were not introduced to each other yet at that

time.

The following day, I was en route to Hong

Kong while their World Community Service Team

was on their way back to Japan. Fate must have

worked towards our direction when we


127

Public service the Rotary way

Hugo Perez

A s a child, I grew up admiring my

politician-father who would unhesitatingly

accommodate the common folks in our

community. Someone crying for help in an ungodly

hour, rousing us from deep sleep, was a common

occasion. As a public servant, my father would

attend to anyone and every attended case was awe-

inspiring, a lesson that taught me the meaning of

passion for service.

I cherish those lessons as among the most

important legacies of my father to me. Growing up

with such a great model, I ended up getting

involved in community work even in my youth,

126


despite her hectic schedule.

At the end of the day, we were able to

gather 46 bags of blood and served 256 patients

with free testing of cholesterol and blood sugar.

Because of the success of the project, we are

planning to conduct it annually and achieve our

vision of a healthy community.

We know that we can realize our goal by

tapping the sense of service of the common folk,

the same sense of service that the Rotary Club

espouses among its members to push for positive

change in communities.

Lyn served as President of the Rotary Club of Narra Central. She works as a government municipal officer at the Narra Municipal Hospital in Palawan.


77

accidentally met at the airport.

Masato told me that he recognized me as a

Rotarian. He said the he could not forget my face

when he saw me on stage during the ceremonies,

due largely to the distinct design of our club

uniform. We exchanged pleasantries and calling

cards and said goodbye.

I thought that I would never be able to see

Masato again.

During my term as President, Club

Presidents were asked to submit a project proposal

for the World Community Service project of Japan.

Fortunately, our club’s proposal was one of those

approved. We were overjoyed since our club has

just been chartered that time. This shall fund our

very first big project, we agreed.

When Hiro Oba, the coordinator of Japan

projects in our District, presented to me the

Memorandum of Agreement for the project, I told

him that the signatory’s name on the MOA looked

very familiar. So I checked all my calling cards. To

my surprise, the signature belonged to the Japanese

78


who I met at the airport.

I was finally able to meet once more with

WCS representative, Masato Kaneko, when the

sponsoring Japanese Rotary Club of Noogata visited

to sign the MOA and to check the project site.

He expressed to me his happiness, saying

that of all the project proposals he received, he had

quite an affinity with our project called “Water for

Life,” which gears to construct water systems in

three locations in Tarlac. He said that he was not

aware that I was the one who submitted the

proposal that their club approved.

During the centennial

year, our joint project won an

award for “Innovativeness and

High Impact Water Project.”

Masato told me that he always

gets teary-eyed when he recalls

the serendipity of how we met

and what transpired after.

Since then, the Rotary

Club of Noogata has been helping

� � � � … we tell people our

story… how two Rotary

Clubs love and care for each

other as friends,

despite the distance, language

barrier, and cultural

differences ��


125

Gymnasium, where we held the project. There, we

saw uniformed soldiers, police, local government

employees and civilians in one venue getting along

well with one another for the common objective of

donating blood and in the rather literal sense,

share one’s life.

Aside from the bloodletting, we also had

free cholesterol count and blood sugar testing. In

the same venue, a symposium on lifestyle diseases

was also conducted to promote right living among

the participants. A healthy lunch was also served

for everyone to set off resolutions of participants

about eating a balanced diet.

The response of the

people to our project was

overwhelming. We even had

to extend our activity for

hours to accommodate

everyone. We also had the

local government to thank for

its full support of the project.

Our very own mayor Lucy

Demaala, a Rotarian herself,

also came to donate blood

�� We know that we can realize our goal by tapping the sense of service of the common folk ... ��

124


Right from the start, I have been nurturing

a great faith to the values espoused by the Rotary

Club among its members—values that can be

summed up with the slogan, Service above Self.

When I was assigned to be lead president of

our chapter in Narra, Palawan, I immediately

proposed projects that would focus on public

health. And after many sessions of planning and

studying of possible activities, our chapter finally

came up with a day of bloodletting and free

medical tests under the program we dubbed as

“Dugo Ko, Puso Mo, Sagip Buhay Project” last

August 29, 2006.

We began the day with “Takbo para

Makalingap ng Dugo para sa Tao,” a 200-meter fun

run participated in by 30 members of the Interact

Club of RC Narra Central. It was a great start to set

the atmosphere of healthy living we were trying to

promote in our community, serving as a powerful

campaign.

We mobilized physicians and Red Cross

volunteers to join us with our objective and people

from all walks of life trooped to the RVM


79

us. We have built two Gawad Kalinga houses last

year and held medical missions together.

On October 2006, we experienced

something heartwarming and memorable.

Members of the Rotary Club of Makati Rockwell

attended Noogata club’s 50th Charter anniversary in

Japan, where we were treated like royalties. We will

never forget that day when they brought us to the

train station as we were en route to Tokyo. They

made sure that we had food while in transit and

they even brought our heavy bags. We all could not

help but shed tears as we left.

It has been three years since that

experience but whenever there is an opportunity,

we tell people our story—how two Rotary Clubs

love and care for each other as friends, despite the

distance, language barrier, and cultural differences.

We never forget to say that it all started in

Rotary.

Litay served as President of the Rotary Club of Makati Rockwell for Rotary Year 2004-2005. In Rotary Year 2006-2007, she was the Chairperson of the Group Study Exchange Inbound Housing from California.

80


Extra small club, extra big hearts

Yolanda C. Tan

J ust like any organization, our club has had

its share of ups and downs.

What amazes me until now was how the

remaining officers grouped together and

collectively agreed upon one thing: there was a

need to strengthen the club and to show the

District, if not Rotary International, that together

we can withstand anything.

This incident gave me the courage and

strength to know that whatever happens, we can

weather it out.


123

Sharing blood,

saving lives Ma. Arlin Josue

A s a physician working in the public sector,

I have developed a soft spot for issues that

relate to community health. After all, saving lives is

what doctors do for a living. Social concern comes

from within us in a rather natural way.

While that is a great outlook in itself, I

knew it was not enough because I realized I had to

channel this social concern to concrete efforts to

positively affect my community in any way

possible. That was why I eventually joined the

Rotary Club.

122


solicit donations for the school’s Internet access

and computer equipment. Moreover, we also held

medical missions and health awareness programs.

In the short period that I have been in the

organization, it has been easy to see what brings

together people from all walks of life and

professions in the Rotary Club. It is love for service.

It is about changing the lives of other people for

the better. It is about making a dent in society. All

of these things, without expecting anything in

return.

Alice is with the Rotary Club of Taguig West. She serves as one of the vocational service directors, in which capacity, she organized a number of literacy projects.


81

It still amazes me to look back on how we

were able to pool together whatever resources we

had to reach out to our brothers and sisters in

need. This became apparent with the series of

calamities which greatly affected several parts of

our country in 2006.

I can still vividly recall those moments

when I asked the members for contributions that

will be used to help the victims. I was so moved by

their generosity. We acquired 100 blankets and

some tarpaulin banners that were to be converted

into roofs of tents. We had these materials shipped

to Bicol through a classmate involved in bus

operations. It was the least we could do for the

victims.

The spirit of service also drove the club to

reach out to a school that badly needed help with

its potable water supply. Pilar Village School, which

is near our club, has for some time then

experienced a discoloration in the water that

comes out from its pumps. No disease has been

reported since the appearance of the discoloration

but students were still wary of it. This is why

students had to buy treated water, which is quite

82


costly for them, whenever they got thirsty during

school hours.

We decided that there was a need to install

a water filtration system inside the school. I was

the club’s treasurer before so I knew that such

proposition would require a large investment.

But I did not mind that problem. I knew

that the benefits of the project will outweigh all the

headaches that we had to endure in order to get it

going. With some luck, we were able to get the

needed money to put up the system.

Right now, students of the school need not

spend money in order to have safe drinking water.

As the saying goes, "Safe water saves young lives,"

and these lives include the 2500

students of Pilar Village School.

Knowing that our club had done

this gives us incomparable joy.

I have always believed that

doing service for others makes one

feel young. I admit that there may

be stress, but the help we gave to

� � � � I have always

believed that doing service for

others makes one

feel young ��


121

age,” so to speak, having my turn at inviting a

friend to join a noble cause.

When the term of the year’s officers came

to a close, I was overwhelmed with being awarded

as the “Rookie of the Year.” And as the new set of

officers was inducted for the coming year, I became

one of the directors assigned in the Vocational

Service working as its Program Chairman. It was a

tall order, and while I had my share of anxieties as

to how I would be able to pull it off, I knew

everything would be all right especially because I

was working with a reliable team.

As Vocational Service Director, I became on

top of several literacy programs, the most

memorable of which was the Adopt-a-School

project that sought to aid slow learners at the

Western Bicutan National High School. We held

free tutorials and while we realized that the

country’s education problem was more

complicated than we thought, we were happy to be

doing something about it in our own little way.

Aside from the tutorials, we also looked for

funding of scholarships for deserving students and

120


I soon found myself

attending several trainings

and meetings until finally

being inducted in January

2006. I remember very well

how as “young” as I was in the

organization, I was assigned

to remind fellow members of

their attendance, a task I earned most probably

because despite my busy schedule, I myself did not

miss any meeting.

While I was just practically “new,” I never

had a problem dealing with my fellow members

because of their warm welcome. Moreover, I have

had the chance to work with many of them in some

social outreach projects. In a special kind of way,

too, I realized how people with a passion to serve

really find themselves flocking together—and in

the Rotary Club.

Came March 2006, I was surprised to be

assigned to be a part of a major activity as a

marshal. I gained new friends in the major event

we hosted and was also soon able to sponsor

someone to join the club. It was my “coming of

�� I realized how people with a

passion to serve really find

themselves flocking

together ��


83

Pilar Village School was really a different story. The

stress I felt was the result of the club's desire for

the betterment of others and not for the pursuit of

my own interests. I learned that when I forget

about myself for other people, I gain more out of

life.

I try to share this learning with my club

members. The bond that we share keeps growing

with each passing day. No task or challenge is ever

too little or too great that collectively we cannot

overcome together. Despite the limited resources

we have, we can consider ourselves at par, if not

better, than the other clubs in the district.

Our club may be considered extra small in

size, but we more than make up for it with our

extra big hearts.

Yolly served as President of the Rotary Club of Las Piñas West for Rotary Year 2006-2007. The youngest of seven children, she once dreamed of becoming a Filipino teacher.

84


Of treasures Jaime A. Cura

O rdinary people like me are sometimes

awed by the amount of money that

Rotary is able to tap for its projects. One of my first

impressions was that Rotarians are generally

expected to dip into their pockets for just about

every activity or project they undertake. For people

who don’t have deep pockets or fat bankbooks, this

could be worrisome. They are impressed by what

Rotary does, but feel inadequate about being part

of it. Thus, they shy away from joining Rotary.

But treasure need not consist only of

money. Time is also treasure. So, too, is talent.

When combined and used well, these forms of


119

The rookie Alice Lucas

I have only been in the Rotary Club for barely

two years now, but I always find myself

struggling for the right terms to describe how

fulfilling such a short period has been.

It was November 2005 when a friend of a

friend talked to me about joining the organization.

The person who invited me was assertive with what

he was offering to me, knowing it was a noble

undertaking he was giving me a chance to be a part

of. While I had my doubts about committing

myself to the club at first, I could not deny the fact

that over such a small talk, I sensed his earnestness

and was impressed by it.

118


easy, and it may even hurt. But I have seen this in

many Rotarians, and I wish to see it in many

others. To be a Rotarian is to be a role model of

integrity, professionalism, and high ethical

principles.

Carmen is currently in the Philippine Senate as Director-General of the Office of International Relations and Protocol. She was President of the Rotary Club of Makati EDSA for Rotary Year 2006-2007.


85

treasure can produce powerful networks of friends

that can get the job done without necessarily

tagging each friend with monetary contributions.

When we pool our resources, the synergy is

amazing!

I discovered this when I was Club President

some 22 years ago.

My club was doing youth service in a public

school which was housed in a cramped tenement

building. The scarce classrooms were hot and noisy

with more than a hundred students each. Many

students literally waited under the shade of a

clump of trees just outside the building for their

turn to sit inside the classrooms. When it rained,

they had to scamper somewhere else and miss their

classes for the day. Surely, not much learning could

take place in such circumstances.

Not too far away from the tenement

building was a sprawling public food terminal

complex. It contained rows and rows of large stalls

which were leased as factories by agribusiness and

industrial tenants. Huge catwalks interconnected

these rows of stalls. The catwalks were as large as

86


entire hallways of average-sized buildings. These

were usually empty or merely used as storage for

discarded office paraphernalia and other forms of

trash.

We befriended the administrators of the

complex. We talked to them about our youth

service plans and projects. We called their

attention to the deplorable situation of the public

high school nearby. We suggested a partnership.

We could clean up the catwalks and the premises

for free and build temporary classrooms and offices

at no cost to them. Would they lease the catwalks

to us at a friendly price?

They did at one peso a year.

We mobilized volunteer work groups of

Rotarians, students, and faculty. We solicited

donations of plywood, varnish, paint, second-hand

furniture, books, and other items that could be

useful to the students and teachers. From late

August to early November, volunteers quietly

worked on the project well into the night. By mid-

November, neat-looking classrooms had taken

shape, the principal got a new office, the faculty


117

vehicle for a person to fulfill his or her social

responsibilities. Its members were part of a good

network, and it really was just a matter of taking

the club’s mission to heart.

I had to become president before I

understood the Four-Way Test. And to my

disappointment I also realized that not all

Rotarians practice it. Rotarians often use the term

“rotarized” to describe that process of a member’s

integration into the Rotary. Many people I know

would use it as casually as you and I would

mention cars. But when I ask what they mean

when they say that someone has become

“rotarized,” I am usually met with silence. Is one

finally “rotarized” when he/she has already

established connections for his/her respective

businesses, or when he/she

has made enough friends?

We should not forget

that the spirit of the Rotary

is Service Above Self. I

believe that serving above

oneself can only be achieved

by giving oneself. It is not

� � � � I believe that serving above oneself can only be achieved by giving oneself. It is not easy, and it may even hurt��

116


I have always been an activist,

conscious of the social

responsibility each human being

should have. I had unforgettable

memories as an activist but all of

it is nothing compared to being

president of a club of which I

have been just a nominal

member. And so, I had to

reassess my priorities and invest

time into my new task. I had to fashion a new

brand of activism.

I was determined not to let the club’s

projects deteriorate into cosmetics, so I resolved to

make time for the Rotary’s activities. When I had to

go abroad, I would spend an extra couple of hours

every night to set straight the club’s agenda for the

meetings I could not attend. I would also include

pertinent information regarding the activities of

the district to which our club belongs, especially

those of greatest concern for our club.

Being president did demand sacrifice, but

after a while I began to enjoy it, mainly because I

realized that the Rotary is indeed an excellent

� � � � I had to reassess my

priorities and invest time

into my new task. I had to

fashion a new brand of

activism ��


87

their own faculty lounge, and the librarian a more

spacious library.

On the 8th of December, the students and

faculty, with everyone in attendance, took part in a

touching early morning flag-raising ceremony on

their new but temporary campus. Not a few were in

tears as they sang the national anthem. The

principal broke down when she delivered her brief

address of welcome to the students.

The school did not have to stay too long in

the temporary, makeshift, but livable and new

campus building. The project got the attention of

the Department of Education. Not long after, the

high school was finally transferred to a permanent

campus of its own, with new

buildings, better equipment,

and healthier surroundings.

How much did this

project cost the Rotary club?

Not even a tenth of a million

pesos.

After 28 years in the

� � � � The secret is being personally involved, and realizing that no matter how small you are, you can help change the world one step at a time ��

88


Rotary, I sometimes ask myself, why do we meet

every week? Why do we go to poor towns? Why do

we donate to Africa? Why do the rich countries

keep on helping us?

After 28 years, I have never missed a single

Rotary weekly meeting. It has been, and still is, a

gradual discovery of my self and others. The secret,

as I later found out in my Rotary service, is being

personally involved, and realizing that no matter

how small you are, you can help change the world

one step at a time.

Jimmy Cura is from the Rotary Club of Rizal West. He served as District Governor of RI District 3830 for Rotary Year 2005-2006.


115

But I soon realized that prying into the

Four-Way Test involved hours of meetings and

getting acquainted with your club mates, of going

out of your way and redesigning an already hectic

schedule. I was simply too busy to invest time into

it, and I didn’t get immersed that soon.

That was my story until one day in April

2005. Ms. Malou Maligaya, the President Elect of

Makati EDSA for that year, invited me to discuss

matters related to the Inner Wheel Club, a group

composed of the wives of the male Rotarians–

“Rotary-Annes” as Rotary jargon would put it. As

we met at the venue, I noticed that there were far

more people attending than I expected. It was only

after we had all settled down when I was told the

real purpose of the gathering: they wanted me to

be president for the Rotary Year 2006-2007.

And so I became President Elect of the

Rotary Club of Makati EDSA in 2006. Since then, I

knew that I had to change the way I have been

living as a Rotarian.

I was an UPSCAn (University of the

Philippines Student Catholic Action) in college, but

114


Caught by the Four-Way Test

Carmen Razon-Arceno

I joined the Rotary in 2000, though I hardly

knew the club. It was mainly to honor the

persistent invitation of a good friend, and to satisfy

a curiosity that has been growing in me ever since I

first took notice of the organization’s Four-Way

Test.

My work demanded that I travel around the

country, and during my trips I would see these

examining questions painted everywhere: on a

street sign, or on the railings of a footbridge

perhaps. I wondered what they meant, and joining

the group seemed to be a good way of finding out.


89

One wheelchair, one life, one perspective

Federico P. Sapitan

T he look on the face of each member of our

delegation was very revealing.

The airport in Vancouver was but an

eighteen-hour old memory in our minds, and so

were the comforts and conveniences of first-world

living. But a mild culture shock still dowsed us out

of our long, cold sleep.

It was 5:30 in the morning, and the twelve-

member team from Red Deer East had just landed

in Manila.

Proceeding from the Customs and

90


Immigration, we were led to a warm reception

from a contingent of Rotarians from Las Piñas

Camino Real, Red Deer East’s sister club.

Handshakes, introductions, photographs—

euphoria was the order of the day, and the brightly

emblazoned banner that welcomed us marked off

an island of excited Rotarians from the rest of the

people in the airport lobby.

It took us an hour to get ourselves

harnessed to vehicles that drove us to Las Piñas,

some twelve kilometers south of the airport.

Normally, a trip that covered such a distance was

over in a few dozen blinks, but that one was a one-

hour cariñosa with bad traffic.

It became obvious that most of us weren’t

used to driving through streets that betrayed the

millions going hungry, and the multitudes writhing

for life every day. Amazement clutched our faces as

the city embraced our convoy in her frayed arms.

The Rotarians from Red Deer East went all

this way to the Philippines to complete the

Filipino-Canadian team that would personally


113

the club.

Because in the end, people may not

remember me as president, but they certainly will

remember the Rotary.

Bing served as President of the Rotary Club of Makati Jose P. Rizal for Rotary Year 2006-2007. As her term ends, she looks forward to going back to playing badminton, walking and shopping, and more time for her company and her ministry work.

112


Each time, he dragged

himself up and continued to

run, bleeding and grimacing in

agony. His feat dazzled the

audience who then started to

focus their eyes on him.

Despite knowing that he won’t

be able to beat the other

sprinters, Akwari still went on

to reach the finish line. He got

a well-deserved applause from

the crowd.

When asked by the media why he

continued the race, he humbly replied, “My

country did not send me 9,000 miles to start the

race. They sent me 9,000 miles to finish the race.”

Like Akwari, giving up was never on my

agenda. You only become president once, as they

all say, so why give up? I wanted to finish my term

and carry the flag of the club, come what may.

More than my personal sense of

achievement and fulfillment after all these are

through, what matters foremost is the interest of

� � � � … giving up was never on

my agenda ... I wanted to

finish my term and carry the

flag of the club, come

what may ��


91

administer the handing over of 280 new

wheelchairs to those in need of mobility.

As sister clubs, Red Deer East and Las Piñas

Camino Real often had joint programs like this one.

These projects include the beginnings of a micro-

credit financing establishment in the clubs’

adopted community, and a bakery that the people

themselves will run.

The wheelchair distribution project took

place in March 2006, and lasted for two and a half

weeks, which became more taxing—and more

rewarding—toward the final stretches.

The first round of wheelchair distributions

began after five days of cultural tours and club

visits. About five wheelchairs were given out. We

started questioning ourselves if we would really see

the faces of the recipients and share in their joy as

we lift them onto their new wheelchairs.

But the whole thing did gain momentum,

and after some time we found ourselves working

16-hour days. A typical day involved making brief

speeches, unpacking and assembling, putting up

92


banners, writing out placards, calling the names of

the recipients and so on.

There were just so many things that had to

be attended to.

"Who has the box cutter?"

"The media people would like to talk with

someone."

"Are there 18-inch wheelchairs left?"

Activity disguises chaos, and the racket

scatters everyone.

But then something made

time stop during that work hour.

The clamor halted and the din

was hushed.

Everyone had their

attention focused on an elderly

lady, dressed in pink and white. She was crying. In

the midst of all the commotion, she was trying to

thank her benefactors for her new bright red

wheelchair. She looked up at us as we sidled up to

� � � � She looked up at

us as we sidled up to

her. She said thank you ��


111

As President, I focused on the goal, on

getting things done, despite the odds. Pleasing

everyone simply wasn’t an option. Individual

desires had to be subsumed under the interest of

the club. And even if it meant personally doing the

tasks of those not around just to get the job done,

that’s exactly what I did. I ran the extra mile.

Service in the Rotary did take its toll on my

own personal and professional life. Since I had to

be present whenever a Rotary activity is held, that

meant less time for my company. I also didn’t have

time for the things I usually do, such as badminton

and walking.

Sometimes I wonder, why am I doing all

these?

Then I remember John Stephen Akwari, a

Tanzanian athlete who joined the Olympic Games

held in Mexico in 1968. While all spectators were

cheering, looking at the finish line as almost every

athlete had passed, there was this guy who fell to

the ground many times.

110


This figuratively and aptly describes my

term as President in the Rotary Club of Makati Jose

P. Rizal. After fourteen years as a member, nothing

prepared me for the job.

Becoming President, to begin with, was

never on my mind when I first joined the club.

Invited by my best friend, I was there for

fellowship. I looked forward to spending dinners

and lunches with new-found friends, with whom I

can hopefully develop lasting ties.

But I would later learn that one way of

deepening my bond with my friends in the Rotary

is through service. So after turning down

nominations to become President year in year out,

I finally obliged, seeing that I was the last in my

generation who had yet to serve.

Running a club, however, turned out to be

far more challenging than running my own

company. Since Rotary members are essentially

volunteers, compulsion is out of the picture. There

are times when some members wanted things done

their way. There are also times when, despite well

laid-out plans, those in charge didn’t show up.


93

her. She said thank you.

Someone had to translate the other things

she was saying. The lady, as it turned out, had not

been out of her home for over a year because she's

crippled. The moment brought tears to many, and

reminded us of what our work meant as we went

back into minding the mechanical and repetitive

little jobs that the whole project demanded of each

of us.

Once, in front of a large crowd, we told the

recipients and their caregivers that the wheelchairs

were “a gift from God and from our hearts.” Within

the next two days we would hear the following

story, and we would realize the full extent of what

we had just said.

On that same day a

member of our team delivered

a wheelchair to the house of a

90-year-old lady. She had

been confined to her bed for

over three years.

The next day, which

� � � � Ever since her confinement she had wanted to attend Mass, but was not able to. Finally her dreams had turned into reality ... ��

94


was a Sunday, she was lifted onto her new

wheelchair, enabling her to fulfill a dream, a dream

she had pondered over for three long years.

Ever since her confinement she had wanted

to attend Mass, but was not able to. Finally her

dreams had turned into reality, simply because

someone cared enough to obtain a wheelchair for

her, deliver it to her, look into her eyes and tell her

that she is valued as a person. After the celebration,

she went back home, and into her bed, perhaps at

peace.

She died the following day.

*** Las Piñas Camino Real belongs to District

3830 of Rotary, which encompasses a large part of

Metro Manila. It also has jurisdiction over Rotary

activities in Palawan, some 500 miles south of

Manila.

After some days of working in Manila, we

were asked if we wanted to go to Boracay (a famous

tourist attraction) to relax, but all of us chose to go


109

Race to the finish Elvira H. Villania

N othing is as spectacular and breath-taking

as the quest for the track and field gold in

the Olympics.

With the level of competition at its peak,

each athlete must undergo a series of rigorous and

consistent training. Physical, emotional,

psychological and even spiritual conditioning—all

these are crucial in bringing out the best

performance in any type of sports competition. As

the pressure heats up, stability and endurance are

put to the final test—on the day of the event.

108


misfortune, you meet an accident (God forbid), you

know whom to call. In my case, unfortunately, it

was an accident not even Dr. Rotary can remedy.

But what a fortunate accident it turned out to be.

Ric served as President of the Rotary Club of Parañaque East for Rotary Year 2006-2007. He and his wife, Techie, are expecting their third child by Christmas 2007.


95

to Palawan, where we could distribute more

wheelchairs, particularly in the more remote

corners of the island.

I think that most of us thought that we

were making some sort of heroic sacrifice, but

Palawan turned out to be every bit of a paradise as

Boracay, with its beaches of white sand and its

many nature parks.

Of course, we were all aware that helping

people was our priority. We started distributing

wheelchairs as soon as we got there.

An 11-year old boy with no control of his

arms or legs was lifted into his new wheelchair. His

name was Romanez, and he has spent most of his

life lying on the floor on a bright blue plastic

mattress. But now he was free to be taken to

church, or to the town center, or to somewhere else

on this beautiful island!

*** Political turmoil is prevalent in this nation.

The traffic is one of the world’s worst. Almost every

96


body of water within and around Metro Manila is

already polluted. Some people live in the most

inhuman conditions—under bridges, tucked into

street corners, on the railway tracks, in garbage

dumps. There are waiting lists for children to

attend school. Most will never attend.

Why would anyone return to a country

where hardship is so widespread?

The answer would be the Filipino people.

They are men and women who do not give up

hope, who do not quit trying, who accept each day

as it comes, who never quit smiling, and who will

do everything for the people they love.

They are people who say things and mean

it. “Please come back” means “please come back.”

“What can I do for you?” means “what can I do for

you?” “Can I help you?” means “can I help you?”

Most of all, we have learned a lot from

these wonderful people. They hope and carry on

because they stick together, and support one

another.


107

In our own community in Parañaque, Dr.

Rotary has created a tremendous impact. Aside

from a stationary clinic that we set up in our

community center in Barangay Moonwalk, Dr.

Rotary was envisioned to be a mobile medical van

with basic medical equipment for x-ray, ECG,

dental check-up and a laboratory for blood, urine,

stool and other tests.

We have so far generated critical start-up

support from Governor Butch Francisco who

donated an ambulance. We also teamed up with

RC Makati to purchase an ECG machine and some

laboratory accessories.

A lot more needs to be done and even more

can be done by Dr. Rotary. I can only hope that the

enthusiasm for this project will continue to

flourish.

Dr. Rotary is one project I am truly proud

of. It is one of the things that fuel my desire to

serve, despite the difficulties.

So if you happen to be sick or, by some

106


around the world.

The object of the ascribing the name Dr.

Rotary is to command recall, permanency and

continuity. It would serve as a rallying point or a

battle cry, and would do well as a marketing tool. It

follows a triangular approach in community

service: the Rotary Club as a Non-Governmental

Organization (NGO)—convenor and propagator of

community works; the Local Government Unit

(LGU)—as logistical partner; and the Private

Sector—private businesses partnering their own

brand to complement Dr. Rotary events in the

service of the community.

To date, Dr. Rotary has attracted a lot of

attention not only in District 3830 and other

districts in the Philippines but also in Rotary

International and other Rotary Districts abroad. A

Rotary Club in Alaska at Homer-Kachemak Bay

District is trying to lobby Rotary International to

recognize Dr. Rotary internationally through its

Rotary Action Group (RAG) Health Fair Project

(HFP). This is being spearheaded by Past District

Governor Steve Yoshida.


97

Their smiles are a sight to behold. It is

inspiring to know that their faith and their loved

ones are all that they may have, and yet they still

remain happy.

The story comes from an account by Neil Swensrude, Past President of the Rotary Club of Red Deer East of

Calgary, Canada, and from details supplied by Fed Sapitan, Immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Las Piñas Camino Real at the time of this joint project

between the sister clubs.

Fed served as President of the Rotary Club of Las Piñas Camino Real. He was District Coordinator for Operations in Metro South and for Membership for Rotary Year 2006-2007.

98


Beyond borders

Ma. Adelica B. Villavicencio

I t started as a simple idea, from thousands of

miles away.

In October 1990, Tony Quinlivan, then an

incoming President of the Rotary Club of Wagga

Wagga-Kooringal in New South Wales, Australia,

thought of putting up a cross in towns and cities

across the globe to serve as a reminder of the

importance of peace in today’s troubled world.

With the help of Rotary International, the

support of world leaders and the inspiration of the

late Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa, the idea

caught on. From a cross, the symbol evolved to that


105

Rotary Club of Parañaque East. There was no

turning back.

Aware of the enormity of the challenges

facing the presidency, I started preparing for the

job early. I formed my planning team eight months

before my term. I presented my general program

concept seven months before, had my eight-page

glossy flagship project brochure printed six months

before, had fund raising five months before, and

had my team building two months before my

presidency. I thought I couldn’t be more prepared.

Was I wrong! When my term started, I

found it really hard and emotionally-wrecking. I

should say that the saving grace of the presidency

is the presence of warm bodies of fellow Rotarians

during each event, fellowship and meeting; plus,

the opportunity to introduce projects that could

help improve other people’s lives.

One of the projects I was fortunate to

introduce is Dr. Rotary. It was the first time in the

world of Rotary that a community medical program

would have a human face as well as a brand name

that shall carry all and future medical programs

104


series of meetings with the council, the two

gentlemen agreed to simultaneously withdraw

from the nomination. The

council was thus given a free

hand in choosing the next

president nominee.

And so the next honored

nominee was called. To

everyone’s horror, each

president received from him

an emphatic “No.” The

nominee then rattled off a

million reasons: from time to

business to family, to family to business to time.

But to the horror of the nominee, his “No”

was drowned out by a resounding “Yes!” Each

council member confirmed that “Yes! You are the

new President Nominee, the time for you to serve

the community has come!” It was as if they were

saying: “No, we are not asking you to accept it, we

are vesting you with the pride and honor of serving

others, period.”

Suddenly, I found myself heading the

� � � � It was as if they were saying: “No,

we are not asking you to

accept it, we are vesting

you with the pride and

honor of serving…” ��


99

of a dove on top of the world, to signify that the

initiative crossed all political and religious

boundaries.

On February 23, 1993, on the occasion of

the Rotary World Understanding and Peace Day,

the first Peace Monument was unveiled and Wagga

Wagga was declared the first Peace City in the

World.

I came across this project while searching

on the Internet for worthwhile activities for our

club. The year was 1998 and I was then the

President of the Rotary Club of Makati San

Lorenzo. The moment I saw it, I just knew this was

one initiative too good to pass upon.

I communicated with Past President George

Little, Ambassador for Promotion of Peace City all

over the world, and I was given all the necessary

information about it. I then discussed it with my

Governor, Sonny Coloma, and the rest, as they say,

is history.

The Makati Park and Garden is the site

where we built the Peace Monument. On February

100


23, 1999, Makati was declared a Rotary Peace City,

the third such city in the Philippines. Today,

Makati is among sixty cities worldwide who are

part of this project.

PEACE is actually an acronym for the five

sectors in society whose good work the initiative

intends to support. P is for police, city officials and

government. E stands for educators. A is for Armed

Forces of the Philippines while C is for civic

communities, and E for environmentalists.

As an innovation, our club introduced the

awarding of the annual Rotary Peace Award to

ardent advocates of peace and unity in our country.

Our very first awardee was President Corazon C.

Aquino in 1999 followed by President Fidel V.

Ramos and Jaime Cardinal Sin in 2000 and 2001

respectively. They were honored for their

contributions in the 1986 EDSA People Power

Revolution which restored democracy in the

country.

General Angelo Reyes and Ricardo Cardinal

Vidal shared the award in 2002. For her

environmental initiatives, Ms. Gina Lopez was


103

Dr. Rotary is in Ricardo L. Santiago

I became president by accident.

A miscommunication took place in the

choice of a president-nominee in our club. As was

the tradition, the council of Past Presidents was

supposed to honor the future president by offering

him/her a nomination. In this case, as if indicative

of the gravity of the job that lay ahead, a

nomination was offered not just to one but to two

potential honorees!

In the interest of preserving the dignity,

friendship and harmony in the club, and after a

102


boundaries, reaching out, touching and inspiring

lives.

Maridel served as President of the Rotary Club of Makati San Lorenzo for Rotary Year 1998-1999. She has relinquished the management of her food business to her children and now spends most of her time on volunteer work in Rotary.


101

given the award in 2003. In 2004 and 2005, we

recognized Fr. James Reuter's accomplishments as

an educator and Ms. Rosa Rosal’s contributions in

the Red Cross.

Other awardees include Fr. Rocky

Evangelista in 2006, for his work in Tulay sa Don

Bosco Street Children Foundation, which aims to

uplift the lives of children. Most recently, we gave

the award to Sr. Pilar Versoza for her work in Pro-

Life.

What struck me and what continues to

amaze me to this day is the universality of the

aspiration to achieve peace and unity. People from

different races, situated

hundreds of miles apart,

share one goal: the

promotion of lasting peace

through fellowship,

international understanding

and goodwill.

It is heartwarming to be able to share and

spread the light of peace not only in our country

but globally. It transcends all barriers and

� � � � It is heartwarming to be able to share ... It transcends all barriers ... ��

Amusings in the Life of a Rotarian

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