A non-profit organization anchored on “Service Above Self” that has remained solid and strong up to its centennial anniversary is, indeed, a rarity. To last for 10 decades without any expectations of material rewards or profits is truly a magnificent feat.
The passing of the years dedicated to service, unknowingly, has institutionalized the organization’s legacy of selfless devotion to making a difference in the myriad lives of people trapped in impoverished communities; and the organization, itself, into a national heritage.
I was christened into the Rotary movement some 14 years ago, during the Rotary Year 2005-2006, the year after Rotary International’s Centennial. Still in my early thirties, my unfamiliarity with the Rotary world was clearly evident. I addressed my fellow members not by their first names. During weekly luncheon meetings, I barely uttered a word with any of my fellow Manila Rotarians as I was so starstruck finding them seated beside me when I only used to watch them on television. Being the first Rotary club in Asia, many of the greatest names in the country once walked the path of “Service Above Self” under the auspices of our Club. I was a routine Rotarian, then, to say the least, paying my annual dues and was content emulating what most of my fellow Manila Rotarians were doing: present, but never engaged.
I was not aware of the impact of our Club’s services and influence until I was tapped to handle the New Generations Service of the Club in 2010. But it was the Centennial of Asia’s first Rotary Club, as I saw myself at the helm of many committees and tasks I thought I would never accomplish with the kind of mindset I had way back in 2005, that ushered in a greater transformation in my Rotarian spirit.
To say that preparing for the Centennial was a full-time job was a complete understatement. But the experience gave me a valuable insight: the avenues for learning in Rotary never end. I may already have a thorough grasp of the rudiments of Rotary; I may have deemed myself, modesty aside, quite accomplished in “Service Above Self,” owing to my stints in the Rotary Leadership Institute and my exposure to the district, whether as a midlevel district officer or as a member of the Executive Committee, yet I realized that my knowledge of Rotary’s vast network of people, communities, projects in touching lives, creating connections and making a difference is still inadequate.
I consider my finest hour as a Rotarian my participation in a rare Rotary Forum with then Rotary International President-Elect Mark Daniel Maloney and moderated by Past District Governor Herminio “Sonny” Coloma; an opportunity too lofty to pass upon by someone of my stature in Rotary. I was the youngest in the group of around 15 panelists, which included some of the biggest names in the Philippine Rotary movement. I had my baptism of fire by asking the very first question: “How would you convince me, assuming I were a young individual, to join Rotary?” President Maloney, being the mild-mannered lawyer he has always been, was candid enough to elaborate in brief, but, sweet words, the advantages and opportunities in Rotary for the youth. I have always savored that defining moment, the honor of discussing with the pillars of Philippine Rotary, with more experienced men and women adept at almost any topic about the organization, while clinging to my own little reservoir of Rotary knowledge. And hearing my name called by a moderator, a former Cabinet member, was a fleeting iota of time that was simply priceless.
This Rotary Forum was just one of the many activities in a two-day celebration of Rotary’s 100 years in the Philippines and in Asia. The first day’s full program was held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC); the second culminated in a Gala Dinner at the Okada Hotel.
One of the highlights of the first day was the Rotary Club of Manila Centennial Awards for the Most Outstanding Service Projects. Another was the Rotary Club of Manila Centennial Chorale Competition which brought to the fore, through music, Rotary’s legacy and responsibility of molding tomorrow’s leaders in “Service Above Self.” The evening entertainment, titled “A Legacy of Rotary Service,” in turn, was a moving array of sights and sounds which culminated in the lighting of the Centennial Logo of the Rotary Club of Manila, a testimonial to the Club’s pervading influence in nation building through service projects that mattered the most.
The Centennial Gala, an evening of grandeur which only men of the finest calibre are capable of executing, showcased a battalion of dignitaries in and out of the Rotary world as they witnessed a top level performance of the award-winning El Gamma Penumbra on the history of Philippine and Manila Rotary through shadows while being serenaded with a medley of songs by Rotary Club of Manila’s World Famous Music Chorale. The gala culminated in a toast to a glorious past together with the unveiling of the Rotary Club of Manila’s Roster of Members, both past and present.
A hundred years passed by in a flash. So many stories to tell, so little time to document. However, the continuing saga of Rotary Service is best told, not by those who make up the club much touted as a legend and trailblazer in “Service Above Self,” but by the marginalized men, women, and children who, because of Rotary, became accomplished citizens of the country and resolved to pay forward the immense help they have received. The compilation of their stories would serve as a bridge to an even brighter tomorrow for a club replete with so much history in its archives, as the Rotary wheel continues to turn with the advent of a new century.
This story was published in the September 2019 issue of the Philippine Rotary magazine.
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