They saved the best for last. As in the Oscars. And pretty much in all other awards. RC Makati was called last at the District Awards held last Friday, the 23rd of June at the Dusit Thani Manila not because it was the least but because it was “the most” – Most Outstanding Club, that is. This top prize, the most coveted in the district, was paired with the plum honor of Most Outstanding Leadership Award for Pres. David Ackerman, with the lead “Service for Humanity.” The twin honors were preceded by a shower of 17 other awards, major and minor, in various categories and for various reasons, a happenstance that made Pres. David the most exercised among the 94 club presidents as he went up the stage to receive the trophies from DG Edna Sutter. Billed as the “All Star Awards—a Parthenon of Stars Shining for Humanity,” the event was attended by Rotarians from all 94 clubs in District 3830 who were there to collect awards and/or to clap for those who did. It was DG Edna’s shining moment as well, a time to give due recognition to the clubs that had met or surpassed targets, set new records, reached milestones and otherwise sweetened the service kitty of the district and their respective clubs, and that of Rotary as well. Too bad that by the time the major awards were announced, there were only Community Service Dir. Chris Ferareza and First Ann Mache to cheer for Pres. David as the others who had been there earlier—PE Jun Jun Dayrit, Dir. Boy Arteche, and Dir. Porsche Pena —had to leave at some point for other engagements. In any case, Pres. David had enough friends in the audience to give him a rousing rah-rah-rah. This is the 6th time the Club has won these elusive twin district awards that every club aspires to. The first time was in RY 1988-1989 when the late Gigi Zulueta was president. The others were in 1994-1995 during the term of Carlos del Rosario; 1996-1997 under Ric Librea; 2001-2001 under Jonny Carlos; and in 2002-2003 under Robert Kuan. Awards won by RC Makati at the All Star Awards 23 June 2017, Dusit Hotel 1. Service to Humanity: Most Outstanding Club 2. Service to Humanity Most Outstanding Leadership Award: ASTP David Ackerman 3. Mixed Gender Challenge Award 4. Governor’s Meritorious Award – Chairman Cecile Dayrit /Rotary Satellite Club of RC Makati Spouses 5. Extra Miler Leadership Gold Award 6. Effective Club Citation 6 Stars 7. District Awards Gold Star - 8. 100% EREY Club 9. 100% Paul Harris Fellows Club 10. Governor’s Award -- Continuing and Well-Rounded Project Gold Award for “Stop TB Now Project” -- Continuing and Well-Rounded Project Gold Award for “Supplemental Feeding Program” -- Partnership Project Silver Award for “Teaching the Deaf to Speak Project” -- Partnership Project Bronze Award for “Books Across The Seas (BATS)” -- Partnership Project Bronze Award for “Mentoring the Mentors Project” 11. Membership Champion Gold Award 12. Top 2 Award Highest DISCON Attendance 13. Shelter for Humanity Award – Propagation of Rotary Homes Project 14. The Rotary Foundation’s Centennial Eagle Silver Award 15. Top 8 Award Annual Fund TRF Contribution Per Capita 16. Top 2 Award Annual Fund TRF Contribution Absolute 17. Top 3 Membership Net Gain Absolute 18. The Rotary Foundation Centennial Milestone Award - $2 Million Contribution to TRF on its Centennial Year 19. All Star Distinction Award (6 stars ECC and Gold on District Awards)

The Club’s 2017-2018 board of directors headed by President-Elect Jun Jun Dayrit are prepping for their year of service with their participation in the District Assembly—better known as Distas. The Distas is the major leadership training event for incoming club officers and directors. Held in view of the annual turnover of Rotary leadership each year, Distas seeks to “provide club leaders with appropriate instruction for the tasks they will assume” in the coming year. Held at the Makati Sports Club on May 6, Distas 2017 brought together the incoming leaders of District 3830’s 91 clubs, with District Governor-Elect Ed Afzelius at the helm. Attending for RCM were: PE Jun Jun Dayrit, Club Admin Dir. Porsche Peña, Community Service Dir. Chris Ferrareza, Membership Dir. Boy Arteche, RI Programs Dir. Bom Villatuya, PND Educational Service Dir. Bimbo Mills, Legal Counsel Louie Aseoche, Public Relations Chair Andrew Prieto, and PDG Sid Garcia, adviser. DGE Ed made a presentation on RI and district thrusts, in keeping with the year’s theme: “Rotary--Making a Difference” as enunciated by Incoming RI President-elect Ian Risely. In the morning, discussions on leadership, public speaking, budgeting, developing goals, and the specific roles of the officers and directors were held in simultaneous sessions, while the afternoon saw 21 club clusters breaking out into ten groups for sessions on finalizing club goals and a business session on budgets and club dues. The calendar of events and activities for the upcoming year was also announced. According to an RI publication, the Distas “workshops offer motivation, inspiration, Rotary information and new ideas for club officers, directors and key committee chairmen of each club. Some of the most experienced district leaders conduct informative discussions on all phases of Rotary administration and service projects. The sessions give all participants valuable new ideas to make their club more effective and interesting.” Another important feature of the Assembly is a review by the incoming district governor of the program theme and emphasis of the new RI president for the coming year. District goals and objectives are also described and plans are developed for their implementation. The success of each Rotary club is frequently determined by the club’s full representation and participation in this annual meeting. This year’s Distas was hosted by RC Paranaque Metro, RC Makati Central, RC Makati Gems and RC Paranaque Southwest.

On February 13, the Rotary Club of Makati embarked on a special journey to BGC for an off-site meeting and a mini-Valentine's party at Bar PinTxos, just a few steps away from the picturesque BGC Greenway Park. The day began with a delightful walking tour of the 1.5-kilometer urban park, renowned as the longest greenway in Metro Manila. This green oasis, a hidden gem in the heart of the bustling city, was initiated by RC Makati in 2019 during the presidency of PP Fred Pascual and is still overseen by PP Charlie Rufino, standing as a symbol of sustainability and a testament to our club's commitment to environmental stewardship. The 1.5km greenway, created with high value but low cost, has significantly enhanced the livability of our community. Through our club's dedicated efforts, we raised over P28M to cover the expenses for this transformative project. BGC Greenway Park offers a serene escape from the city's hustle and bustle, providing a perfect setting for relaxation, picnics, and leisurely strolls. It's also a great spot for exercise and enjoying the fresh air, making it an ideal destination for anyone seeking a peaceful retreat in the midst of the urban landscape. Following the walk through the park, the delegation gathered at Bar PinTxos for a delightful lunch and fellowship. During the program, President Bing Matoto distributed certificates of appreciation to the partners and sponsors of the BGC Greenway Project, acknowledging their invaluable contributions to the success of the initiative. Reflecting on the project, Rosella Belmonte of the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation expressed her excitement about how the community has embraced the BGC Greenway Park, making it a favorite spot for many. Mike Keppler, the project manager, highlighted the economic benefits of the greenway, including increased property values in the surrounding area, boosted tourism, and improved quality of life for residents. Moving forward, he cited the big plans on interconnecting greenways with the hope of the continued support of Rotary. As the day came to a close, romantic music filled the air, celebrating Valentine's Day with roses and chocolates for all attendees to take home. The BGC Greenway Park stands as a testament to the Rotary Club of Makati's strength and commitment to creating sustainable and vibrant communities.

The Nutrition Program Committee chaired by PP Freddie Borromeo opened three modules of the feeding program in Brgy. Quisao, Pililia, Rizal last May 26, rounding off to 310 the number of malnourished children served this Rotary year. The three modules each serve 30 kids with a nutritious meal and a glass of milk every day for six months. The milk is provided by Mead Johnson, corporate sponsor, while the meals are prepared by the kids’ mothers who have undergone training in meals planning and preparation by long-time project partner Kabisig ng Kalahi. All three modules are scheduled to wind up in October. The launch also brings to nine the number of modules run this year. The others were in Marcela Agoncillo Elementary School in Binondo, Manila, with two modules started in September 2016 and completed in March 2017; Bay, Laguna with two modules that began in December 2016 and will end this month, June; and Sitio Rawang, Tanay, Rizal with two modules that kicked off in April and will end in October. Speaking to the parents, PP Freddie brought home the message that poverty is no excuse for malnutrition as there are affordable sources of nutrients, while PE Jun Jun Dayrit and Ms. Vicky Wieneke, executive director of Kabisig, hammered on the imperativeness of not missing the daily meals. Ms. Wieneke also impressed upon the audience how the Club is helping communities in many provinces, while the Vice Mayor Leandro Masikip thanked the Club for bringing the program to his community. Also present at the launch were PP Rene Limjoco, Dir./Treas. Bom Villatuya, Rtn. Taba Samson and Ann Jojo Borromeo, together with Brgy. Capt. Edwin Buenaventura, and Ms. Prescilla Escalante of DSWD. Taba later hosted lunch at a resto in neighboring Tanay.

SPEECH By DG EDWIN AFZELIUS, JR. Rotary Club of Makati. Manila Pen. 7 July 2017 A pleasant evening to you all. Allow me to greet the revered Past RI Director Paing Hechanova and the rest of your distinguished past district governors, Bert Montinola, Tony Quila, Sid Garcia, Robert Kuan and Pepz Bengzon, as well as your past club presidents up to Immediate Past President David Ackerman and your spouses. The Rotary Club of Makati ---- chartered 50 years ago on March 12, 1966, and entering its 52nd year --- remain to be the most outstanding club in District 3830 --- and second to the oldest after the Rotary Club of Puerto Princesa. Thus, I thank the Rotary Club of Makati for spearheading the creation of so many other Rotary clubs in this part of the Rotary world. I commend the past leadership of your club, and the fine men who involved each and everyone in projects that touched the souls and made a difference in the lives of others, particularly those who need them most. You are leaders whose dedication and commitment to serve beyond yourselves have made so many communities better places to live in. Allow me to cite PDG Sid Garcia, who for the last 7 years, has remained as chairman of the Rotary Homes Foundation, and all the other leaders of the Foundation. Their concern, leadership and guidance, result in the continuance of perhaps one of the biggest free housing projects initiated by a Rotary group. But, it is not only PDG Sid or any other PDG or PRID in your club that I refer to but the whole of the Rotary Club of Makati, composed of extra-ordinary men in various professions and businesses have enabled to make a difference in the lives of so many. My friends in the Rotary Club of Makati, Rotary Year 2017-2018, with the theme ROTARY: MAKING A DIFFERENCE, will be a beautiful journey to fellowship and service. This theme reminds us Rotarians that our presence can always touch the lives and make a difference in the lives of others and theirs. This theme shall be our strategic plan where Making A Difference and creating positive changes will define the ways in which we live as Rotarians anchored on the priority goals of Rotary International and the district. Our great hopes will be transformed into Happy Rotarians, Happy Clubs, a Happy District, and Happy Communities! I would like to commend your outstanding projects on literacy and mostly covering the other Areas of Focus. You have a very successful Books Across The Seas project which I hope you can continue, for this has helped so many other Rotary clubs, schools and communities. Commendable are your service projects that delve on continuing medical missions and other projects that cover the 6 areas of focus. However, as you expand your commitment to your communities, I ask you to further STRENGTHEN YOUR ROTARY CLUB. Work hard to have more members but focus on retention too. The Rotary Club if Makati is one of the biggest TRF contributors but I ask you to CONTRIBUTE more to the Rotary Foundation to help improve our ability to attract grants and Foundation support. The 6 Areas of Focus are main thrusts of Rotary International and the Happy Barangays Project will be the anchor to which service activities will be implemented. Your continuing support to the youth by having Rotaract and Interact clubs and another Rotary Community Corp are very laudable. With these outstanding projects, I ask you to enhance the good works of Rotary and your club by promoting your activities and sending articles to the GML and the Philippine Rotary Magazine. Maximize your public image efforts by participating in RI-sponsored campaigns like the Humanity in Motion projects. Communicate to the community the values of Rotary and your Rotary club. As Mother Teresa has said: “I can do things you cannot. You can do things I cannot. Together, we can do great things.” Hence, I believe none is more enduring than that of cooperation and tolerance. Exercise collaborative service and collaborative governance. This means that no matter your role is in the club, you are part of a family, a family where ideas flourish, where voices are heard, where activities are shared, and where results are readily apparent. I also ask your club’s cooperation and support to prioritize several exciting major activities that will happen during our year, especially the tree-planting activity that RI President Ian Riseley requested us to do this year. • The TRF Testimonial Dinner in November 2017; • The District Conference in March 2018; With these programs and activities anchored on the thrusts of Rotary International in 2017-2018, I am certain that your club will be able to comply with the Presidential Citation requirements. My friends in the Rotary Club of Makati: We are gathered here to enlarge our hearts, and to train our minds to untangle problems and confront the challenges before us. We come to discover that which inspires us, to find what motivates us, and to connect our personal passions to a larger communal interest. We come to discover new ideas, new ways of working, and new ways of thinking. With your pledge taken to heart, you will then be able to be charged up, motivated, and impassioned to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the lives of others! We stand at the beginning of another exciting era in the history of District 3830, and we must dare to dream. I look forward to your joining us in this journey to service in Rotary Year 2017-2018 as we MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the lives of others! Thank you and a pleasant evening to all. Brief Remarks Rafael “Paing” G. Hechanova Sr. RI Director, 1996-98 Member, RC of Makati D-3830 Philippines Fellow Rotarians, Spouses and Guests – I have been asked to deliver a message tonight. I will be brief as this is a long night. Twenty years ago, as a director of Rotary International, I proposed that we create a Family Membership – a membership that for one dues to RI and to the Rotary Club, both spouses become Rotarians. It was referred to the Constitution and By Laws Committee of Rotary International and they came back after several weeks with a note that the proposal is good but premature at that time. Now, we have a Satellite Club that is composed of our spouses – and I support it although my wife is not too well, she is now also a Rotarian – Because Rotary is Family. But fellow Rotarians, it is not a solution to increased membership as advocated by our previous President. We need younger members who are leaders or who have the potential to be leaders in Service to others. We need younger members who want to get involved – to be of assistance to those that need help. That is what Rotary is – the LOVE for others. This Club was founded by LEADERS and sustained through decades by LEADERS. Just yesterday, I attended the Induction of the Rotary Club of Manila. That club is not dying. Ever since they transferred here to Makati, their membership has increased and they are now buoyant and strong. They are now 228 with 39 exempt or 189 active. I was very pleased that they are a strong club. Rotary is not a contest. Rotary needs strong clubs to continue doing good in the world and MAKING DIFFERENCE. So fellow Rotarians, LET US JUST DO IT. Let us invite quality persons to join us. Thank you and best wishes to all.

Lovely weather with nary a hint of rain. Metro traffic kinder to the nerves than usual for a Friday evening. The buzz of excitement as some 240 kindred souls including 12 past district governors and spouses, 12 district officers, 17 Great Presidents, 14 guests from three sister clubs, and 21 from daughter and brother clubs—the ladies, comely in Filipiniana-inspired gowns and the men, dapper in formal barong Tagalog—greeted one another with handshakes, hugs and besos. Such were the feel and look and vibe of the 52nd induction ceremony and ball of the Rotary Club of Makati at the Rigodon Ballroom of The Peninsula Manila on 07.07.17 -- the 7th of July 2017. Two matched clubs agreement were signed: RC Kota Kinabalu and RC Cebu. The foyer was crammed with guests registering, posing for pictures at the photo stations, and generally just milling around two center tables, sipping wine while waiting for the centerpiece—two luscious lechones on large trays, their arrival signaled by a bell, to set off cocktails, a perky warm-up to a lovely evening. Incoming Pres. Jun Jun & Cecille Dayrit and Outgoing Pres. David & Mache Ackerman welcomed everyone to the ballroom. Hosts Louie Aseoche and Mike Escaler, looking like pros to the stage born, held the program together. The proceedings went smoothly—IPP David calling the meeting to order for the last time, PP Joe Alejandro saying a prayer for the Club and the new leadership team, and PDG Sid Garcia delivering the welcome message that was virtually an introduction to the Club and its long history of achievement and acclamation. PRID Paing Hechanova delivered brief remarks where he recalled how, 20 years ago as a director of RI, he had proposed the creation of “family membership” that would allow spouses to become Rotarians but charged only one set of dues. Recounting that the proposal was nixed as “good but premature,” PRID Paing was happy to note that the Club has formed a satellite club composed of RCM members’ spouses, including his Ann Mely. A cake was wheeled in for three birthday celebrators: PRID Paing, DG Ed Afzelius and PE Fred Pascual, and the birthday song was sung. The induction ceremonies ran like clockwork with PP Rene Limjoco presenting the inductees, PP Reggie Nolido charging them, DG Ed swearing them in, and PDG Tony Quila presiding over and annotating the turnover ceremony. Introduced by PP Tito Panlilio, newly-minted President Jun Jun Dayrit Jr. delivered an inspirational speech that invited club members to move out of the comfort zone of a passive member and become an active, engaged, and enthusiastic volunteer who helps to get the iconic Rotary gearwheel moving, takes up his oar to push the dragon boat team to victory, and contribute to the reversal of the Pareto Principle where 20% of the team does 80% of the work. Noting how Rotarians are called upon to give of three Ts—Talent, Treasure, Time—he made it clear that of the three, he will be needing your TIME the most. Pres. Jun Jun’s first task was to induct four new members—Johnny Ang, Inigo Garcia, Virgilio Gumban and Derrick Tan, and attach pins on 51 Paul Harris Fellows. PDG Robert Kuan introduced DG Ed Afzelius, guest of honor and speaker, who paid fulsome praise to the Club for its long parade of projects through the years, even naming all the past presidents and past district governors, with special mention of PRID Paing. He urged the Club to keep up its leadership position, grow its member base, and give more to The Rotary Foundation. After Pres. Jun Jun adjourned the meeting, the entertainment started. Titled “OPM Through the Years,” it was a seamless musical show featuring an array of OPM numbers performed by Rotarians and Anns, a show that earned oohs and aahs here, loud cheers there, and applause everywhere. The artists and their numbers: Pres. Jun Jun/ That’s Entertainment and Dungawin mo Sana, Roger Collantes/ Minamahal Kita, Mundy Gonzalez/Saan Ka Man Naroroon, Trina Galvez/Kapantay ay Langit, Sue Ann Nolido/Sixteen, PP Reggie Nolido/My Pledge of Love, PDG Pepito Bengzon and Renalyn David/Together Again, Porsche Pena/Ang Kawawang Cowboy, PDG Robert Kuan/Butsikik, PN Bimbo Mills/Anak, Melanie Laggui/Bonggahan, Boy Arteche/The Way We Were, PDG Sid, PP Freddie Borromeo, PP Eddie Yap, PE Fred Pascual, Eddie Galvez, and Bom Villatuya/Katawan, Tisa Fernandez/Tukso, Cecille Dayrit/Tell Me, Mache Ackerman/Bituing Walang Ningning, IPP David Ackerman/Mga Kababayan Ko, Chito Cantada/Ngayon at Kailanman, Louie Aseoche/Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika, and the entire cast coming together for the finale, Ikaw, Ako, Tayong Lahat—Magkakapatid. Mimi Valerio and Sylvia Gonzalez appeared in videos. Doing the backup dancers routine, with several costume enhancements, were Tess Aseoche, Irene Barcelon, Jojo Borromeo, Tere Boyer, Tesha Garcia, Queenie Mills, Brin Panlilio, Menchu Pascual, Marie Segura and Caling Young. The evening ended with the traditional President’s Breakfast and dancing, both to the music of Marcy’s Band. Kudos and thanks to Louie Aseoche, Induction Committee chair, First Ann Cecille Dayrit and Mimi Valerio, Entertainment Committee co-chairs, and the Secretariat staff for an excellent job!