Pres. Juan “Jonny” Carlos Jr. rang in his term with the revival of a project that had engaged the Club more than a decade and a half earlier. He brought back to life the Anti TB Project, funding it with a matching grant from TRF, with contributions from three sister clubs-- RC Itako, RC Peninsula-Hong Kong, and RC Kuala Lumpur Diraja. With its focus on patients suffering from juvenile tuberculosis, a disease whose gravity is masked by the euphemism, “primary complex,” the project had multiple launch pads—six farm schools, three communities, and the Mother Teresa Orphanage in Antipolo. The prevalence of TB among children in low-income groups has prompted the continuation of the project to this day. The significance of the project was underscored by two facts: one, the Club’s partnership with two major health institutions—the World Health Organization (WHO) headed by Dr. Jean Marc Olive (who subsequently became a member of the Club) and the Department of Health under Sec. Manuel Dayrit; and two, the adoption the following year of the project by District 3830 and subsequently by all ten districts in the country.
His concern for the health of children moved Pres. Jonny to spearhead a massive immunization drive against Hepatitis B that saw 1,700 public school children given the costly hepa-B shots for free. The campaign was made possible by a World Community Service grant supported by District 2700 in Japan, our District 3830, and our MRCFI. The Club was able to lend funding assistance of P950,000 to 20 Rotary Clubs under the Partnership in Service Program.
It also initiated sister club relations with the Rotary Club of Singapore and brother club ties with three clubs-- the Rotary Clubs of Central Pampanga and in Palawan, the Rotary Clubs of Puerto Princesa and Narra. The Club’s standing with TRF was reinforced with the enlistment of 37 new Paul Harris Fellows.
Continuity in service was evident in the reinforcement of activities in established projects--Bantay Bata, which held seminars on child abuse and child protection for barangay workers and hosted a Christmas party for the wards under the care of the Makati Social Welfare Department; the Parol sa Makati lantern-making contest among barangays in Makati, which enjoyed another run; and the Last Angel Project, which delivered Christmas presents to children in the Tejeros Tenement and the wards of the Bahay Maria Orphanage in Bel-Air Village.
The year saw RC Makati front and center of district affairs on two occasions, as host of two major district events, both of which enjoyed excellent turnout—the District Assembly that gathered incoming club officers at the Intercon Hotel in May 2004 and the District Awards at the RCBC Plaza in June 2005, during which District Gov. Ernie Salas handed out awards in recognition of club achievements during the year.
The Club also contributed to the district’s membership growth goals by organizing a new club, RC Fort Bonifacio Global City, with Pres. Jonny as district governor’s special representative.
For the fifth time, the Club received the top honors at the district awards--Most Outstanding Club-Overall and Most Outstanding Club President-Overall. It was also recognized as the most outstanding club in all avenues of service and for the highest contribution to TRF, per capita and in absolute amount. The Club was also conferred the R. I. Significant Achievement Award for Project Angels, the school-based youth environment advocacy organization birthed by PP Roland Young the year before.
Pres. Jonny was the first club president to receive the twin awards with RC Makati as a member of District 3830, one of the first to win a RI Presidential Citation, and the first sitting president to become a TRF major donor.