Medical Mission at Philippine Cerebral Palsy Inc.

Last August 29, our club, the Rotary Club of Taguig Fort Bonifacio, partnered with two other clubs in our District 3830, for a medical and dental mission to patients of the Philippine Cerebral Palsy, Inc. (PCPI) in Makati City.

A corridor of the Center, with some arriving patients.

One of the newly arriving patients...

At the waiting area, patients were either waiting for their turn to see Rehabilitation physicians and aides, dentists, or done seeing them, waiting for the giving of take home freebies.

New clubmate, Era Eguia, chose this among her favorite photos in her profile. The boy should be a case of more severe case of palsy...

Btway, photo credits, by IPP Rose Antonio and Era. Those with Rotary logo are from Era's camera, the rest are from IPP Rose's camera.

A dental clean up, done by members of the Kalookan chapter of the Philippine Dental Society.

MDGs, Tuloy sa Don Bosco, A2A, by John Alexander Kerr

Last Monday, August 12, we have another American guest speaker, a friend of our clubmates Mike Michener and Patty Mangundatu, fellow Rotarian, John Alexander Kerr, of RC Alabang. He is seated 2nd from right, between First Class President Meann de Leon and Assistant Governor Chary Misa. Venue was Metro Club, Rockwell, Makati.

John talked about the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), Tuloy sa Don Bosco Foundation, and his company, A2A Management Services Corp., where he is the CEO. John is also a Board Director and Trustee of Tuloy Foundation.

The portion that I like most in his talk was the Aquaponics project of Tuloy. It is aquaculture + hydroponics farming. The water where the fish swim contains fish manure and other organic wastes. The water is siphoned to a tank and is used in the hydroponics farm for various vegetables. The plants used the organic waste from the fish, plus other minerals added to the water for specific needs by specific vegetables. The water is then siphoned to another tank, filtered, and is used back to the aquaculture tank. Really cool.

The awarding of Certificate of Appreciation, by President Meann de Leon. They were joined by IPP Rose Antonio (leftmost) and AG Chary Misa (rightmost).

The usual group picture, before the formal adjournment of the meeting.

AG Chary reiterated an earlier announcement she made a few weeks ago, that the Governor's visit to our club plus two other clubs in the Taguig-Pateros cluster, will be on September 2, Monday, 6pm down. It will be held at RC Makati Foundation building, just at the back of Metro Club.

When John and his assistant, Hazel, left, fellowships began. Another round of picture taking.

Mike brought a booze, don't know what it was, with milk cream on top, just one shot for each of us...

Cheers! Kampai! Prost!

(Photo Credits: IPP Rose Antonio and Era Eguia)
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See also:
Tuloy sa Don Bosco, January 24, 2010

Classification Talk by Dr. Jed Inciong, July 12, 2013

My Classification Talk, on Mining Taxation, July 19, 2013 
John Walker on Strengthening Corporate Security, July 24, 2013
Fellowship, After Four Club Talks, August 03, 2013 

Joiint Meeting with RC Rizal West and RC Makati Edsa

Last Thursday, August 08, 2013, was our club's first joint meeting with other clubs in the District this rotary with RC Rizal West (RCRW, our "mother club") and RC Makati Edsa, held at the Makati Sports Club. The topic was "Rotary in Action: RCRW Projects in the Avenues of Service".

The three First Class Presidents with guest from RC Singapore. The latter is a sister club of RCRW for many years now. President Meann de Leon on the left.

The program.

There were four speakers that night, all from RCRW. The first speaker was PP Fritz Ocampo and he talked how they were able to convert an abandoned, half-finished building in Upper Bicutan into a busy structure with lots of health, education, livelihood and other community projects and activities.

Second speaker was PP Elsa Villanueva and she talked about their club's various educational, literacy and other community projects.

The two other speakers were PP Jules Nidea and PP Andy Pages.
Below, group photo with members and officers of the three clubs plus guest from RC Singapore and his family.

Our club group picture, with PDG Billy Villareal and guest from RC Singapore.

Another group picture during the fellowships after the formal meeting.

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After the formal meeting, there was a fellowship.There were several singing and dancing numbers, funny. Here, some women from the 3 clubs singing "Dancing Queen" by Abba.

During my term as Club President in RY 2006-2007, we held 3 or 4 joint meetings with RCRW. My classmate that time was PP Boboy Intal. RCRW is very kind to its "daughter clubs" like ours.

See also: 
Popularizing Rotary’s Projects and Events, August 01, 2013
Fellowship, After Four Club Talks, August 03, 2013 

Fellowship, After Four Club Talks

After four consecutive Monday nights of club talks on different topics by different speakers, our club President, First Class President Meann de Leon called for a fellowship. Instead of last Monday night, she scheduled it last Thursday night at Music 21 in Makati. The talks last month were:

Classification Talk by Daryl Cabato, July 02, 2013

Classification Talk by Dr. Jed Inciong, July 12, 2013
My Classification Talk, on Mining Taxation, July 19, 2013 
John Walker on Strengthening Corporate Security, July 24, 2013

I came late, around 8:30pm, and the guys were already having great fun. 
Below, from left: Arnan, brother of Past President Norlan de Leon, sister of President Meann, Meann, IPP Rose Antonio, Mike Michener, Patty Mangundatu, Past President Niel Antonio, Norlan... 

Below, from left: Patty, PP Niel, PP Norlan, PP Jed Inciong, Henry Villa, Marco Pagaduan, Jun Mendoza.

Later we moved to a bigger room as PE Daryl Cabato and wife also joined us. This big room can accommodate probably 25 people. There are three tv screens to read and sing the lyrics.

President-Elect (PE) Daryl Cabato (middle, with jacket) and wife.
Fellowships are encouraged in Rotary -- no serious meetings, no speakers, just loosen up, sing and dance, things we cannot do during regular meetings.

I also belted out a few songs, President Meann dancing :-)

Patty, holding the microphone, is a great singer. She used to sing at some hotel bars. Her voice is really great and terrific. I kidded that we saved money getting a professional singer to give us really good songs.

Thank you for that wonderful night, President Meann and clubmates. 
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See also:
Club Relief Operations After the Manila Flooding, August 13, 2012 
Peace President Rose Antonio, May 23, 2013 
Charter President Bobby Dimayuga, May 26, 2013

Club Handover, June 24, 2013, June 25, 2013 

Popularizing Rotary’s Projects and Events

Among the most high profile legacies of Immediate Past President (IPP) Rose Antonio to the club is having a facebook group with the biggest number of likes among the 88 clubs in RI District 3830.  Yes, while other clubs much bigger than ours have facebook likes of below 500, even below 100, ours has 1,818 likes as of this writing. This means that same number of people, Rotarians or non-Rotarians, can see updates about our club if they regularly check their facebook accounts.

One positive result of this is that a number of professionals and businessmen in Taguig or nearby cities have expressed interest in joining the club. They see the regular updates, photos especially, of where the Club went to, the fellowships and community projects, club talk with resource speakers, participation in District activities, and so on.

IPP Rose has exercised prudence in selecting who among those who wrote to her saying they want to join the club, deserve a response. Because there are obvious applicants who only want to spam the club members with the various business projects that they are selling.

So far, four new Club members have passed through the insightful scrutiny of IPP Rose’s eyes. They have been invited to the club meetings, we have interacted with them, shared with them our professional background and activities, and so far so good. So the Club has decided to officially let them in. The nearly-inducted members were Era Eguia, a finance staff of a European bank, Mike Michener, a “life coach” and counselor; Daryl CAbato, an agribusiness trader, and Henry Villa, a customs broker.

The entry of these four new clubmates plus about three other new members has expanded the classification membership of our club. Whereas before, many members are in the construction-related businesses, now we have members doing professional and entrepreneurial work in banking, life counseling, life insurance, agribusiness trading, freight forwarding, glass fabrication, human resources, medical practice, think tank, and so on. This expanding mixture of club membership in different fields will be reflected further in future club community and youth projects.

Rotary has lots and lots of community projects spanning various sectors – in healthcare, housing, education and youth training, water and sanitation, livelihood and community development, environmental conservation, and so on. RI District 3830 is one of those in the forefront in various big humanitarian projects among the 10 RI Districts in the Philippines, and even among other districts in neighboring Asian countries.

The rainy season has started in the country and we already saw lots of flooding in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, down to Mindanao. Helping those who are affected by heavy flooding will become a repeated activity of Rotarians and other civic organizations in the country, usually up to November.

We cannot give what we do not have. Since such community projects will require funding, in cash or in kind, we need to raise funds for the club from our friends, aside from pulling out resources from our own pockets from time to time.

These and many other  activities need to be publicized and popularized to other people, especially the non-Rotarians. We are non-politicians or government officials who bask in media limelight for political and even personal gratification. We just do these things out of pure and sincere help to our less privileged brothers and sisters, and still have fun via fellowships with like-minded professionals and businessmen.

This Rotary Year 2013-2014, I have been assigned by First Class President Meann de Leon, to be the Club Public Relations (PR) Director. My role is to help popularize and announce to the District and the public at large, our various Club and District activities, especially related to community assistance and development in poorer or calamity-affected areas.

With a dynamic club leadership backed up by committed and fun-seeking members and other Past Presidents, plus a dynamic support by the District leadership headed by First Class Governor Robert Kuan, there is little doubt that our Club can expand further both in membership and in various community projects this Rotary Year.

Cheers clubmates and friends. And more power to First Class President Meann and Governor Robert.

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See also:
Peace President Rose Antonio, May 23, 2013 
Charter President Bobby Dimayuga, May 26, 2013

Club Handover, June 24, 2013, June 25, 2013 

Moments 1: Rose Antonio, June 26, 2013

Classification Talk by Daryl Cabato, July 02, 2013

Classification Talk by Dr. Jed Inciong, July 12, 2013

John Walker on Strengthening Corporate Security

After three consecutive classification talks by three club members, me included, last Monday we had a guest speaker, Mr. John Walker, a good friend of our clubmate Patty Mangundatu.

The traditional singing of the national anthem, then doxology. I came late last Monday, I missed this part.

Club President's time. First Class President Meann de Leon giving a powerpoint presentation of a review of the club's activities the past few weeks, her involvement in some District activities, participation in some induction by her classmates.

Patty, right in photo below, introduced John, the head of Adsum Risk Consultancy (ARC). She called him "among the most intelligent people that I have ever met". After hearing John's presentation, I can confirm that Patty is correct in making that description.

John talked about "The Misconceptions and Realities of Corporate Security." I like his main point -- that a big portion, up to 80 percent, of risks to corporate security, is internal, not external. Like office employees who use office supplies for personal and household needs; former employees who steal corporate information, network and trademark for their business activities when they get out of the company. Or officers who by neglect, unwittingly gave important information to thieves who steal laptops, and so on.

The awarding of Certificate of Appreciate to John by President Meann. Assistant Governor Chary Misa and Immediate Past President Rose Antonio joined her.

 After John's talk, AG Chary gave a briefing of the plans and activities of the District's Cluster 14 (clubs in Taguig and Pateros), particularly First Class Governor Robert Kuan's visit and meeting with all clubs in the cluster this coming September 2, Monday afternoon till evening.

The usual group photo, with John and AG Chary.

This coming Monday will be a club fellowship, no formal meeting. President Meann plans to hold it in a restaurant somewhere in Macapagal Blvd.
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See also:

Club Handover, June 24, 2013, June 25, 2013 

Classification Talk by Daryl Cabato, July 02, 2013

Classification Talk by Dr. Jed Inciong, July 12, 2013
My Classification Talk, on Mining Taxation, July 19, 2013

My Classification Talk, on Mining Taxation

Last Monday was my turn to give a classification talk. My classification is think tank management, and I do research on various topics -- health, mining, energy, climate, free trade, macro econ, transport econ, political ideology, etc. So I can talk on any of those topics with good data. I chose the topic on mining taxation because it is among the hot issues in the country today. The event was held at Metro Club, Rockwell, Makati.

My presentation, 26 slides, is posted in my political blog, see here, Mining 26: Presentation at Rotary Club of Taguig Fort Bonifacio

I was introduced by new clubmate who was inducted only last Monday, Patty Mangudatu, 3rd from left, in front of a red laptop. Thanks for the kind intro, Patty. My clubmates here listening to my talk.

First Class President Meann de Leon giving me my Certificate of Appreciation, plus a box of cake, which I gave to my daughters and wife.

Before my talk, our club inducted another new member, Reggie Necio, right. The "charging officer" was Past President Romel Villegas.

Reggie being inducted by our Club President, Meann de Leon.

Past President Nrolan de Leon, also the husband of Pres. Meann, putting the rotary pin on new clubmate Reggie's polo.

 
The group photo. We were 15 here, including my guest and ninong to my daughter, VJ Dizon, extreme right, standing. Six members were absent last week.

Thanks once again, to Immediate Past President (IPP) Rose Antonio, 2nd from right sitting, for an exemplary work work done for the club last rotary year, which attracted some people to come and join our club.

This coming Monday, the club will host a talk by John F. Walker, a friend of our new clubmate Mike Michener, and he will talk about "The Misconceptions and Realities of Corporate Security". Same venue at Metro Club.
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See also:
Charter President Bobby Dimayuga, May 26, 2013

Club Handover, June 24, 2013, June 25, 2013 

Classification Talk by Daryl Cabato, July 02, 2013

Classification Talk by Dr. Jed Inciong, July 12, 2013

Classification Talk by Dr. Jed Inciong

One beauty of being in a rotary club is exposure to the diversity of professional and business affiliation, aka "classification" of members. In our club for instance, we have members who are in the fields of medicine, HR management, banking, real estate, freight forwarding, customs brokerage, agribusiness trading, shipping, counselling/life coaching, glass fabrication, think tank, and so on.

With such diversity in the professional background of members, it is interesting to listen to each them, like what they exactly do, various products and services they provide, and so on. Last week, a classification talk on agribusiness (poultry) trading was given by new clubmate, Daryl Cabato. This week, last Monday, a talk on "Looking as you feel: cosmetic surgery and non-surgical aesthetics." The club meeting was held at Tapeo Restaurant, The Fort Strip, at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Our Club President, First Class President Meann de Leon, assigned me to introduce Jed. It's a task that I liked, introducing a good friend -- with me in the board of our think tank, Minimal Government Thinkers Inc., godfather to my second daughter Bien Mary, and a clubmate and friend since I joined the club in 2004. His wife, Dr. Liz Inciong, is also the pediatrician of our two daughters.

Jed is a bright man. He graduated from the Philippine Science High School (PSHS or "Pisay"), the school of geeks and geniuses. It is very difficult to enter that school as there are thousands of bright applicants every year from all over the country, and the school get only a few. And it is equally difficult to finish four years of heavy science and math.

Jed went to UP Diliman for his BS Biology pre-medicine course, then to UERM Medical Center, interned at UP-Philippine General Hospital (PGH), specialized OB-Gyne at UERM again, got units in MS Asian Health Practices, and further pursued Cosmetics Surgery and been a practicing cosmetics surgeon for seven years now.

Aside from the above background, I also introduced Jed as a person who has disabled many young Filipinos who want to be in politics someday, to be eligible to run for President of the country. Know why? Because in the current Philippine Constitution, only "natural born" Filipinos can run for President. Those who are "caesarian born" are in effect, disqualified to run for President, and Jed has performed hundreds of caesarian operation to so many mothers since he became an OB-Gyne specialist in 1991. My clubmates and even Jed like this joke, as always.

Jed's topic has attracted many visitors other than our clubmates. A friend in the free market movement for instance, Harry Santos, plus his girlfriend Carla, came too. Harry wrote an interesting blog post after listening to Jed that night, Rotary Club of Taguig Fort Bonifacio Talk.

Daryl also brought his business partners from 1st Northern International Placement, Inc. and they too, listened to Jed's talk. Below, Daryl behind me, and the three guests -- Celia, Anchie and Peter.

Before Jed's talk, President Meann also inducted two new members, below. Patty Mangodatu in white dress, and Ana Viola Laqui in blue-green dress. Congratulations, Patty and Ana, and welcome to the club.

During fellowship after Jed's talk and open forum, a classmate of Pres. Meann, First Class President Stefanie Campaner came and gave a short talk about her club's community project, helping people with suicidal tendencies, and their musical concert fund-raising activity. A number of our clubmates bought tickets from her.

Nice talk by Jed, nice entry to the club of two new members, nice meeting guests who hopefully, may consider joining our club someday too.

See also:
Peace President Rose Antonio, May 23, 2013 
Charter President Bobby Dimayuga, May 26, 2013

Club Handover, June 24, 2013, June 25, 2013 

Classification Talk by Daryl Cabato, July 02, 2013