Reginald Alberto B. Nolido or “Reggie,” a lawyer and partner of Corporate Counsels Philippines Law Offices, was sponsored by PP Jonny Carlos and joined in 2001. A brother of his is PP Abet Nolido of the Rotary Club of Makati Dasmariñas.
He expected to be introduced to a whole new network of like-minded persons dedicated to the idea of service. Honestly, he says, he too needed to expand his network for professional services. His expectations were met, as he had been actively participating in service programs of the Club even before his presidency. He has also had the privilege of providing legal services to several fellow members.
At first, he recalls, it was difficult for him as a young professional to be part of the Club because of the differences in ages. He felt intimidated and out of place. Even now, he says, he feels humbled by the fact that he is still building his practice while other members are all highly distinguished gentlemen in their respective industries.
But in time he realized that the members were very accommodating and welcomed him with open arms, readily sharing their thoughts and ideas once they got to know him. In the end, they were all just people who wanted to make some difference in the communities we serve.
Before he became President for Rotary Year 2014-2015, Reggie Nolido headed the now defunct Partnership in Service Program, and served as Legal Counsel to the Board, Trustee of the Foundation and head of the Golf Committee.
As President, he initiated the following:
1. the establishment of the Happy Barangay Project with Guadalupe Viejo;
2. the establishment of a new Rotary Community Corps with Bukluran in Camia Street, Guadalupe Viejo;
3. a Backyard Piggery Bio-Gas Project in Roxas City;
4. a Global Grant Application for the Gift of Boats Project in Leyte;
5. the second Round of donations for the Gift of Boats Project in Guiuan, Eastern Samar;
6. three Club-sponsored and two co-sponsored medical missions in Guadalupe Viejo, Parañaque, Tagaytay, Pampanga, and Pateros, of which the last four were done in coordination with Rotary International District 3620;
7. the strengthening of the relationship with the Rotaract Club of Makati;
8. founding of the Monthly Fellowship, “Friday Night Lights”;
9. continued implementation of existing Club projects such as the Stop TB Now Campaign and the Nutrition Program and Rotary Homes; and
10. the Chartering of the Proposed Rotary Club of Century City.
He became MRCFI President on July 1, 2015, before which he was a Trustee of the Foundation for three years. His view of the MRCFI is that its responsibility is to protect the assets and funds and to provide support for the Club, which should still handle all projects. It should not veer away from this primary objective.
“The relationship between the RCM and the MRCFI is as it is supposed to be,” he avers. “MRCFI is just there to provide the financial support to RCM, while RCM is supposed to implement the projects and report its accomplishments accordingly to the MRCFI. That should not change.”
PP Reggie Nolido adds:
“The Rotary Club of Makati is in a unique position as it has the financial capability to undertake projects actively. Because of this, we have so many projects under our belt every single year. The year alone of my presidency, we listed down 32 different activities in the 34 weeks of my term, for an average of almost one project a week.
“But with great resources also come great responsibilities. The Club has a responsibility to actually and physically undertake sustainable and meaningful projects for the communities it serves. The Club cannot sit back and just be a check-giving club, meaning supporting projects by just giving money.
“The members must still be immersed in the community work that we support. There is a need for the members to continually feed our souls by actually meeting our brothers and sisters in need. There would be little meaning to our being Rotarians if we just stay within the comforts of our office and the Manila Peninsula.
“We should not delude ourselves into thinking that giving money is enough. We have to know why we do what we do. We have to meet the people we serve. We must get our hands dirty and actually do the job necessary to help uplift the lives of others. We have to lead from amongst and not just instruct from behind.
“My term can be defined as one which provided our members the opportunity to serve. We had several projects and trips where we actually engaged with the poor, the needy, the children and unrepresented. It is really up to the members to grab the opportunity. Many did, while others did not. I pray for the day when everyone would eagerly volunteer to be present at the sites of the projects. I know it will happen.”