PRESIDENT'S TIMEBy Pastor Mar Reyes
| President’s Message No. 37 |
| GOING STRONG IN THE FINISH LINE |
I almost cannot believe that after tonight’s meeting, we got only 10 more meetings before the curtains finally come down to close RY 2010. While I am now looking forward to the club’s turn over and recognition night set on June 24, 2010, I cannot ignore the fact that the most serious item under my watch is still to be resolved – that of challenges to our AG and PP Penny’s being the DGN choice of the Nomcom for RY 2012-13. I implore my clubmen to pray hard and do what we can to help Penny’s choice being upheld.
I have to remind PE John Simon and the incoming set of officers, including those incoming District officers to attend the DISTAS on April 24, 2010 at the Celebrity Sports Plaza. It is important that we set off on the same page and the same pace as the District, towards the same directions, anchored and guided by its goals and emphases for the RY2010-2011.
I cannot but emphasis the need to plan and to plan early, knowing the District goals, RI’s thrusts for the year and setting the club’s own goals. Drawing the map early is a sure step towards success. Now that I can almost say, I have seen and served a presidential cycle, I can give my two-cents worth advice during these planning sessions.
Which brings me to the next important agendum – the 2010 District Awards Night, set on May 31, 2010 at the Marriot Hotel, and to be hosted by the club. PP Ed de Guia, the Committee Chairman is at the midst of preparations to make yet another memorable event in our District. This is one task I ask everyone to help make a final push to the finish line. If at all, the visit of the Japanese Rotarians gave us the second wind. If my expectations materialize, we will have significant international service projects to come – projects that will have tremendous impact on the communities we are serving. I am also looking forward to more friendship exchanges, as well as youth exchanges in the near future.
Although of course I am biased – I prefer Bong and Donna Jiao and CM and PP Louie Lopez to be our travelling companions!
April is Magazine month in our Rotary Calendar. I urged my clubmen to become Lifetime Subscribers of the PRM, which I have become. It will be cheaper in the long run. For others, you may also subscribe to the Rotarian. I am thinking about this. While there is the all mighty Rotary.org to give you all the information on Rotary that you may want, you cannot bring the laptop on the couch or on the bed to read leisurely, or on the park after jogging.
I have decided to start publishing the Nomination Forms and their attachments on the Tambuli. In this way, the club gets to know and look back to all the projects and activities we have done during my term. It will also give an opportunity to PE John and his team to start studying what projects they want to do.
We shall start with the Nominations for the Special Awards. These are the areas of emphases, Water, Health and Hunger, Literacy and Environment. In the succeeding issues, we will publish the other Nominations, from minor to the major awards.
Let us all pray and hope that we will get some awards and recognition for the efforts of the club this RY. In any event, I believe we all did an excellent job and I have never been more pleased and prouder with my club!
Tonight, we get involved with the nation’s most important activity and favorite pastime - the national and local elections. The nation is once again transfixed and the clang and din of political campaigns overwhelm our sense of peace, tranquility and to most extent, our sanity. Nonetheless, electoral processes are part of nation-building and we all have a part to play here.
And so, I expect we will have a lively and spirited discussion of the election process, particularly the controversial and yet untested automation of our elections. One of our experts in the field, Director Nonoy Desamito will be our speaker on this topic. I am sure, the other legal beagles in our club, especially those handling election cases will most certainly join the fray.
Final notes – lets update and clear our monetary obligations to the club. We are about to make more deposits to Marriot Hotel, order the trophies and hire events people to help us out in the District Awards Night. So in short, we need the funds.
Let us also bring in more guests and prospective Rotarians to strengthen the club in terms of membership growth. Let us make RCSFDM a 100-member club the soonest possible time!
The future of Rotary is in your Hands.
