Rotary Year 2008-2009 has ended and too is my service as the 7th President of the Rotary Club of Hundred Islands.

It was a tall order for Rotary Year 2008-2009 to Make Dreams Real.  This order was not put to naught as we have made dreams into reality and made little difference in the lives of our beneficiaries.  In response to the call of Rotary International President Dong Kurn Lee for the reduction of child mortality, 150 pupils had an average weight gain of 2.5 kilograms, around 100 children were treated and given free medicine and 50 impoverished children receive mosquito nets, to name a few.  These things were made possible by officers and members who served wholeheartedly even in the absence of remuneration or financial return.

Last August 26, 2009, the Rotary Club of Hundred Islands held its 8th Induction and Turn-Over Ceremonies at the Maxine by the Sea Lodge and Restaurant, Lucap, Alaminos City, Pangasinan.

The affair started with a holy mass at 6:30 a.m. at the pastoral center of the St. Joseph Cathedral Parish, attended by the club officers and members. Right after the mass, a motorcade followed. The participants of the motorcade assembled at the parking lot of the church. Adorned with balloons and streamers, the participating vehicles proceeded to Barangay Palamis and Barangay San Vicente until Genuino Ice Plant at sitio Daray-asen. From there the vehicles went straight to the Lucap Wharf then ended at Barangay Sadsaran for a breakfast at the Mellow Chow Restaurant.

ATTENDANCE :-

They always make it a point to attend as many Rotary meetings of their clubs and also of other clubs, as is possible. They are aware that attending Rotary meetings is a very important part of being a Rotarian. They do not miss any chance to attend such meetings. They also attend meetings of various committees of which they are members and even some others if they are invited. They are keen to attend various district functions and all projects of their club. They are proud to attend the district assembly and the district conference every year. They would try to attend the Rotary convention at least once in five years.

Leticia Parra was born in Mexico City, the center of the ancient Aztec Empire. At 13 years old I worked as a grocery store clerk, taught children and taught French. I also worked at Bristol Myers Co. (drugs division), CANACINTRA (Mexican Chamber of Industry), Nacional Financiera (National Bank) and Dokter Labs (medicine products) which is a family enterprise.

After a more or less compulsory exile from journalism, I returned to my professional activity in 1989 when I initiated a new Magazine on Industry, "Dinamica Industrial News". 5,000 copies each month go to top CEOs and GMs in Mexico City and Metropolitan area informing them of Sustainable Development and Public Political of Government programs.

That word "goodwill" shows up repeatedly in Rotary. It's in our Four-Way Test, and we speak often of "world understanding and goodwill." With the word frequently in our conversation, we accept its implicit meaning with perhaps only a generalized impression that it's a good thing. But let's examine its full meaning.

Goodwill is most often defined as an intangible asset in business, an accounting term representing the value of a business over and above its net asset value. It's what provides a business with a strong competitive advantage, such as a recognized brand name or a positive reputation.

Kalyan Banerjee, a member of the Rotary Club of Vapi, Gujarat, India, since 1972, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International in 2011-12. Banerjee will become the president-nominee on 1 October if there are no challenging candidates.

Banerjee said he would like to see Rotary "blossom from being the world's most recognized service organization to being the most important NGO [nongovernmental organization] in the world.

"Rotary, it is said, has the strength of a government and the tenderness of a parent," he added.

During 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.

Check in at any major hotel in the world, turn on the television, and you are almost certain to find CNN, the Cable News Network that has not only reported the news, but also helped shape world events. Nearly 30 years ago one man, Ted Turner, envisioned a 24-hour all-news network, and changed the way the world sees breaking news. CNN is testimony to one man daring to challenge contemporary thinking that such a news channel could not survive.

Countless other examples testify to major accomplishments that originated with the vision and effort of only one person. An idea is nurtured, tested, refined; and change is set in motion. Change begins when that "only one person" steps forward with an idea, and puts that idea into action.

I am constrained to register my dissent because the ponencia does not only endorse an unmistakably flagrant transgression of the Constitution but also unwittingly espouses the destruction of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) as an institution. With all due respect, I disagree with the principal arguments advanced in the ponencia to justify Senator Richard J. Gordon’s unconstitutional holding of the chairmanship of the PNRC Board of Governors while concurrently sitting as a member of the Senate of the Philippines.

Procedurally, I maintain that the petition is one for prohibition and that petitioners have standing to file the same. On the merits, I remain earnestly convinced that PNRC is a government owned or controlled corporation (GOCC), if not a government instrumentality; that its charter does not violate the constitutional proscription against the creation of private corporations by special law; and that Senator Gordon’s continuous occupancy of two incompatible positions is a clear violation of the Constitution.

Allow me to elucidate.

I want to thank the Board of Directors for the assistance they provided during the two years, and of course the ROTI membership who placed their trust in me.

As I began thinking about what this 'farewell talk' might contain, I thought about looking at previous monthly reports. Then it occurred to me that perhaps I should mention important issues that arose during the last two years. That idea didn't go very far, since what may seem important to me, might not seem important to others.