February 18, 2007
When classmate Ces Singzon posted “Sweeter than wine”, where he invited everyone to attend his club’s meeting last V-day, he meant it literally, figuratively, chocolately and musically. Yes, last February 14, there was wine, Novelino wines. There were some liter too, of fallen petals of red roses on the floor. And there were figures, some ANNs of Rotarians in nice dresses and good figures. And there were chocolates, sweet chocolates. And finally, there were music too, sweet ballad music.
So, the chocolates and music were indeed “sweeter than wine”. Besides, wines are not always sweet; they’re drinks with the sweet-sourness of grapes, the redness or whiteness of roses on V-day, and the medium-octane-ness of beer-brandy tonic concoction.
The guest speaker that night was the owner of Novelino wines and Ces’ cousin, Mr. Nonoy Quimbo. When Ces introduced me to him, my tokayo had this witty-grinny-smiley face, as if saying in his mind, “this is nth proof: guys nick-named Nonoy like us always have good looks”. Har har har, asa pa.
My tokayo talked about myths and misconceptions about marketing, wines, cork, aging of wines, use of oak barrels, etc. He also showed pictures of their wine factory in Valenzuela, the process of wine making, especially Italian style – with their Italian wine maker in their plant. I thought he would also show a picture of ET (that cute extra-terrestial) drinking wine, because ET is also from ET-ly. Hehehe.
I saw the medico-legal-ala-CSI of our district, classmate Tess Ramirez, dropped by at the venue. Maybe she was checking the medical-nutritional-optical content of Novelino wines, if not its legal-judicial-constitutional rights to land on our throat and belly. :-)
The following night, February 15, was a joint meeting of 3 clubs – RC Rizal West (Pres. Boboy Intal), RC Taguig West (Pres. Ana Cawaling), and my club. Boboy looked exuberant because there was a big presence of their RCC guys to be inducted that night, while Ana looked sweety-pretty-valentiney with her sparkling eyes and new hair-do. And both brought their members almost in full force! Plus our club members and guests, the room was full.
Our guest speaker that night was Dr. John Cenica, a cosmetics-beautification-varicose-killer surgeon. Dr. Cenica is also a member of RC Manila, the oldest RC in the Philippines and the whole of Asia. Our club invited him through our 2 club members who are also his business associates.
So, why do people, whenever they have extra resources, go for cosmetics and beautification surgery? Simple: if they’re ladies, so that they would be as pretty as Barbie Rivadie, Elizabeth Cruzie, Rose Acobi, Doris Yi, Yolly Ty, Patty Ne, Letty Reli, Bing Villani, Luz Reyi, and many other beauteous classmates. Well if they are men, so that they would be as handsome as Paolo Marteli, Ricky Espiri, Inky Rey, Rey Ali, Ric Santi, Raffy Tuve, Boboy Inty, Yasin Badi, Edwin Afzeli, Noe Indy, Tony Abe, Lawrence Arre, Gilbert Camase, Ces Singzy, Ferdie Saputi, Palmy Layi, Jerry Alzi, Joey Li, Efren Rodi, and others so many.
But the most attention-getting news of Dr. Cenica I think, was the “rising birdie” medicine. Mind you guys, it’s herbal de natural, less than P500 and you’re guaranteed for 7 days and 7 nights of ready-to-fight-armadillo! And during the Q&A, this thing got the most inquiries. Wanna buy? Come-a, come-ah, don’t be shy ah! :-)
PP Fritz Ocampo gave the closing response, and he noted that no one slept in the whole lecture and Q&A with Dr. Cenica. He said that the good doctor’s lecture stroke a “raw nerve” of excitement among the audience. Amen to that, Fritz!
Monday, March 19, 2007
Post-valentine Party
February 22, 2007
Consider this case and a question later: you gather 4 male Rotarians in the center, you asked them how much they love Rotary in a scale of 1-10, 10 being “lova-lova-mucha-todo-a”. Then you ask them to show their respective answers by kissing their wives, lipsa-lipsa, right there in the middle, and you hope that 3 couples will get tired and stop kissing after sometime, so that you’ll have a single winner for your lovapalooza. Problem is, no one was in the mood to stop kissing, and the evening clock was ticking away, so what do you do? Aha, the event organizers scratched their heads and declared each couple a winner, so that instead of giving away 1 prize, they have to give 4 prizes!
Yep yep, that was only 1 of the fantalooza scenes during the District post-valentines party dubbed “After the luvin” last Wednesday night. It was jointly sponsored by 6 valentines-inspired clubs: RCs Paranaque Metro (Pres. Lilibeth Cruzie, wife of Tommy Cruzie?), Muntinlupa Filinvest (Pres. Patty Naoe, the female Noeh?), Makati JPRizal (Pres. Bing Villani), Paranaque East (Pres. Ric Santi), Rizal West (Pres. Boboy Inty) and Makati Dasmarinas (Pres. Inky Reyeah!).
And the kissers – among them were Past Gov. Jimmy Cura and Pres. Yasin Badr! The 2 others were PP Fred Fortich and Dess, Boboy’s and Lilibeth’s clubmates, respectively. My co-MC that night, Pres. Bing, as well as the above-mentioned sponsoring Presidents, nearly pulled each couple apart so that they’ll stop kissing, hahaha! Everyone in the floor admired these 4 couples. Gov. Butch was grinning from ear to ear as he and wife Maling were watching.
Pres. Ric brought a new concoction, “the element”. It’s something from the mountains of Tanay, Rizal, that folks say is an effective way to spice up a weakening libido and slumping armadillo. So we asked some couples to try it, hoping for some results in a matter of an hour or two. Unfortunately, Ric says the spewing-dragon-fire could be felt after a few hours, not immediate. Anyway, if you guys are interested, Ric’s contact details are in our district directory.
Pres. Patty recognized the clubs which sponsored the event, as well as the other Rotarians from various clubs who came. Among our classmates whom I saw there, aside from those that I have mentioned earlier, were Barbie Rivadeneira, Rose Acoba, Tess Sanchez, Ana Cawaling, Ces Singzon, Jay Tambunting, Conrad Marty, Jujut Enriquez, Lorenz Tato, Archie Jimenez, Efren Fuentes. Classmates Patty or Lilibeth, please fill in those that I failed to mention.
Pres. Inky came in with his standard shaved-head, black leather jacket, Pinoy Elvis looks, and Earth-wind-and-fire voice, and belted out the first song of the evening, “After the lovin”, accompanied by the night’s live entertainer, the 8-track band. Gov. Butch and wife Maling were the first to dance. From there, it was a shakin n dancing evening, part 1.
Pres. Boboy brought his kisser-club clubmates. :-)
Pres. Lilibeth brought her splendid and demure lady club members. One of whom, Ms. Ray Cabailo, is a member of Mabuhay singers! When Ray came up stage to sing one classic love song of the 70s or 60s, “If you go away”, the room turned silent, the audience enchanted, and the band captivated. Her powerful voice and melodramatic delivery was so enthralling, we requested “one more!” which she obliged.
Pres. Bing also brought her fabulous and glittering lady clubmates, sparkling beauty and brains like district officials Patti King and Lita Wells.
Other singers and jammers that night were Mong Canizares, and PN of RC Paranaque Midtown, Noriel. Proud na proud si AG Andy Fernandez of his club’s PN. But I told him, “eh ako nag-turo dyan kumanta nung bata pa sya!” Har har har, asa pa.
Pres. Ces Singzon brought in a car-load of Novelino wines! Several boxes or a few dozens of bottles of various flavors, free-flowing, ubos! A few more evenings like that Ces, and you will succeed in Novelinizing D3830, hahaha!
With all those food, wines, elemental drinks, dancing and singing and kissing, not to mention fabulous room decorations, the P800 and time spent was worth it. My hats off to the 6 sponsoring clubs, and the attendance of our classmates and district officials, headed by Gov. Butch.
Consider this case and a question later: you gather 4 male Rotarians in the center, you asked them how much they love Rotary in a scale of 1-10, 10 being “lova-lova-mucha-todo-a”. Then you ask them to show their respective answers by kissing their wives, lipsa-lipsa, right there in the middle, and you hope that 3 couples will get tired and stop kissing after sometime, so that you’ll have a single winner for your lovapalooza. Problem is, no one was in the mood to stop kissing, and the evening clock was ticking away, so what do you do? Aha, the event organizers scratched their heads and declared each couple a winner, so that instead of giving away 1 prize, they have to give 4 prizes!
Yep yep, that was only 1 of the fantalooza scenes during the District post-valentines party dubbed “After the luvin” last Wednesday night. It was jointly sponsored by 6 valentines-inspired clubs: RCs Paranaque Metro (Pres. Lilibeth Cruzie, wife of Tommy Cruzie?), Muntinlupa Filinvest (Pres. Patty Naoe, the female Noeh?), Makati JPRizal (Pres. Bing Villani), Paranaque East (Pres. Ric Santi), Rizal West (Pres. Boboy Inty) and Makati Dasmarinas (Pres. Inky Reyeah!).
And the kissers – among them were Past Gov. Jimmy Cura and Pres. Yasin Badr! The 2 others were PP Fred Fortich and Dess, Boboy’s and Lilibeth’s clubmates, respectively. My co-MC that night, Pres. Bing, as well as the above-mentioned sponsoring Presidents, nearly pulled each couple apart so that they’ll stop kissing, hahaha! Everyone in the floor admired these 4 couples. Gov. Butch was grinning from ear to ear as he and wife Maling were watching.
Pres. Ric brought a new concoction, “the element”. It’s something from the mountains of Tanay, Rizal, that folks say is an effective way to spice up a weakening libido and slumping armadillo. So we asked some couples to try it, hoping for some results in a matter of an hour or two. Unfortunately, Ric says the spewing-dragon-fire could be felt after a few hours, not immediate. Anyway, if you guys are interested, Ric’s contact details are in our district directory.
Pres. Patty recognized the clubs which sponsored the event, as well as the other Rotarians from various clubs who came. Among our classmates whom I saw there, aside from those that I have mentioned earlier, were Barbie Rivadeneira, Rose Acoba, Tess Sanchez, Ana Cawaling, Ces Singzon, Jay Tambunting, Conrad Marty, Jujut Enriquez, Lorenz Tato, Archie Jimenez, Efren Fuentes. Classmates Patty or Lilibeth, please fill in those that I failed to mention.
Pres. Inky came in with his standard shaved-head, black leather jacket, Pinoy Elvis looks, and Earth-wind-and-fire voice, and belted out the first song of the evening, “After the lovin”, accompanied by the night’s live entertainer, the 8-track band. Gov. Butch and wife Maling were the first to dance. From there, it was a shakin n dancing evening, part 1.
Pres. Boboy brought his kisser-club clubmates. :-)
Pres. Lilibeth brought her splendid and demure lady club members. One of whom, Ms. Ray Cabailo, is a member of Mabuhay singers! When Ray came up stage to sing one classic love song of the 70s or 60s, “If you go away”, the room turned silent, the audience enchanted, and the band captivated. Her powerful voice and melodramatic delivery was so enthralling, we requested “one more!” which she obliged.
Pres. Bing also brought her fabulous and glittering lady clubmates, sparkling beauty and brains like district officials Patti King and Lita Wells.
Other singers and jammers that night were Mong Canizares, and PN of RC Paranaque Midtown, Noriel. Proud na proud si AG Andy Fernandez of his club’s PN. But I told him, “eh ako nag-turo dyan kumanta nung bata pa sya!” Har har har, asa pa.
Pres. Ces Singzon brought in a car-load of Novelino wines! Several boxes or a few dozens of bottles of various flavors, free-flowing, ubos! A few more evenings like that Ces, and you will succeed in Novelinizing D3830, hahaha!
With all those food, wines, elemental drinks, dancing and singing and kissing, not to mention fabulous room decorations, the P800 and time spent was worth it. My hats off to the 6 sponsoring clubs, and the attendance of our classmates and district officials, headed by Gov. Butch.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Governor's big smoke part 2
January 18, 2007
Guys, whether you showed up or not last Friday, lemme give you a short puzzle.
If you combine:
Big smoke + small shot + hot swing = ?
Or, what laws in physics are confirmed or negated by such mixture of physical concoction?
Isip, esep, thinkin, ponderin, guessin, wonderin, perplexin,….
In elementary physics, there’s a cute concept or theory of “osmosis” – the movement of molecules from an area of greater concentration to an area of lower concentration. And that’s what I noticed – them people who neither puffed cigar nor gulped Carlos 1 were the ones who mainly filled the dance floor while a band was playing. That's diffusion of energy from cigar-alcohol tandem to dancing-swaying twins.
But there are also guys who puffed and gulped and swung, all at the same time!
They smoked big, imbibed small (but many) shots of wine and Carlos 1, and swung hot on the dance floor.
Nah, I won’t tell you who were these guys. As for me, the red wine was oh-lala! The food was fanta-licious. The cigars were slam-dunkin big. The band (Eileen Sison’s jazz-rumba-hala-bira group) was ok-de-olrayt. And the crowd, the Rotarians, were game na, deal pa!
And what a night of dancin and swingin and jumpin! For my absence in the group dance during the Discon, it was a fantastic opportunity to catch up and dance with some of my fantastic lady classmates and district officials.
A jumpin-jack dance with beauteous Lilibeth de la Cruz
A cha-cha with curvaceous Doris Yu.
A bimbo-el-salsa with wide-grinning Ana Cawaling.
A swing-de-gusto with smol-bateribol Diana Quiros.
A boogie with demure and decorous Baby Bunye.
A hide-n-seek dance with ever-present Cora Tan.
Oh-oh, did I forget someone…?
Aha, not to forget, one lady who dueled with the 4 lady DIs and singer Eileen Sison in a sway-your-hips at 100 kph – Amore Isip!
And the men, oh yeah!
While I was pretending hard, really trying-hard, to be a dancer, I would glance at Yasin Badr’s calculated and stylish steps. Or at Gov. Jimmy’s elegant motion. Or at Gov. Butch’s casino-royale moves. Or at Ces Singzon’s shakin-thumpin sway. I don’t remember who else shook the night, but one thing is sure: they would dance more gracefully and respectfully than I did! Oh-my, oh-my!
Ooppss, ooppss, don’t forget Carlos 1’s 2 sexy and lotsa-skin ladies. You can ask the young-at-heart men – guys like Allan Macababayao, Rey Alas, Boboy Intal, Charlie Fuentes, Lito Abogado, Ric Santiago, others.
Ok, till the next big smoke.
Btway, you guys got some answers to my earlier puzzle?
Sirit? Hehehe.
Newston’s 3 laws of motion could be one answer.
1st law of motion: the law of gravity – you swing wide, you dance high, the dance floor will pull you down, so you’re back groovin’ movin.
2nd law of motion: the law of inertia – a body in motion will remain in motion unless an external force acts upon it. A big and long cigar will remain big and long unless a puffin’ and smokin’ mouth reduce it to ashes.
3rd law of motion: the law of action-reaction – for every action, there is an equal, opposite reaction. Small shots of wine and Carlos 1 will produce an equally small kick of hang-over.
Olrayt!
Guys, whether you showed up or not last Friday, lemme give you a short puzzle.
If you combine:
Big smoke + small shot + hot swing = ?
Or, what laws in physics are confirmed or negated by such mixture of physical concoction?
Isip, esep, thinkin, ponderin, guessin, wonderin, perplexin,….
In elementary physics, there’s a cute concept or theory of “osmosis” – the movement of molecules from an area of greater concentration to an area of lower concentration. And that’s what I noticed – them people who neither puffed cigar nor gulped Carlos 1 were the ones who mainly filled the dance floor while a band was playing. That's diffusion of energy from cigar-alcohol tandem to dancing-swaying twins.
But there are also guys who puffed and gulped and swung, all at the same time!
They smoked big, imbibed small (but many) shots of wine and Carlos 1, and swung hot on the dance floor.
Nah, I won’t tell you who were these guys. As for me, the red wine was oh-lala! The food was fanta-licious. The cigars were slam-dunkin big. The band (Eileen Sison’s jazz-rumba-hala-bira group) was ok-de-olrayt. And the crowd, the Rotarians, were game na, deal pa!
And what a night of dancin and swingin and jumpin! For my absence in the group dance during the Discon, it was a fantastic opportunity to catch up and dance with some of my fantastic lady classmates and district officials.
A jumpin-jack dance with beauteous Lilibeth de la Cruz
A cha-cha with curvaceous Doris Yu.
A bimbo-el-salsa with wide-grinning Ana Cawaling.
A swing-de-gusto with smol-bateribol Diana Quiros.
A boogie with demure and decorous Baby Bunye.
A hide-n-seek dance with ever-present Cora Tan.
Oh-oh, did I forget someone…?
Aha, not to forget, one lady who dueled with the 4 lady DIs and singer Eileen Sison in a sway-your-hips at 100 kph – Amore Isip!
And the men, oh yeah!
While I was pretending hard, really trying-hard, to be a dancer, I would glance at Yasin Badr’s calculated and stylish steps. Or at Gov. Jimmy’s elegant motion. Or at Gov. Butch’s casino-royale moves. Or at Ces Singzon’s shakin-thumpin sway. I don’t remember who else shook the night, but one thing is sure: they would dance more gracefully and respectfully than I did! Oh-my, oh-my!
Ooppss, ooppss, don’t forget Carlos 1’s 2 sexy and lotsa-skin ladies. You can ask the young-at-heart men – guys like Allan Macababayao, Rey Alas, Boboy Intal, Charlie Fuentes, Lito Abogado, Ric Santiago, others.
Ok, till the next big smoke.
Btway, you guys got some answers to my earlier puzzle?
Sirit? Hehehe.
Newston’s 3 laws of motion could be one answer.
1st law of motion: the law of gravity – you swing wide, you dance high, the dance floor will pull you down, so you’re back groovin’ movin.
2nd law of motion: the law of inertia – a body in motion will remain in motion unless an external force acts upon it. A big and long cigar will remain big and long unless a puffin’ and smokin’ mouth reduce it to ashes.
3rd law of motion: the law of action-reaction – for every action, there is an equal, opposite reaction. Small shots of wine and Carlos 1 will produce an equally small kick of hang-over.
Olrayt!
Discon 2006
Dec. 11, 2006
One of the sessions I enjoyed during the Discon, Dec. 7-8, was the "GoNegosyo".
The speakers there were:
1. Coring Ramos -- owner of National Bookstore
2. Vivienne Tan -- owner of Entrepreneurial School of Asia (ESA), daughter of lucio tan
3. Paolo Bediones -- showbiz na, biznezman pa; owns iTech.ph
4. Joey Concepcion -- pres/ceo of RFM corp., one of the country's biggest food conglomerates. But Joey went there as a government bureaucrat -- as "Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship"
5. Gov. Butch -- PAGCOR big boss
6. DGE Ato Magadia -- finance/petrochem big boss
Cito Beltran of ABS-CBN was the host.
All the speakers were very articulate. Well, they mean business when they open their mouth. Cito was also a good facilitator.
But what all the speakers failed to mention, or forgot to emphasize, was the role of handsomeness as business capital. Yeah -- you're good looking, like many of my male classmates, and that facilitates business transaction because it enhances the aura of good looks and good environment between you and your potential business partner. Some of you may ask, what or who do I mean? Well, no need to look far and out: see guys like Inky Reyes and Rey Alas; Boboy Intal and Ces Singson; Allan and Raffy Tuvera; Ricky Espiritu and Noy Indonto; and many more!
And yes, I would like to hazard to say that my face maybe qualified for the above criteria also, hehehe. EXCEPT that my good looks failed to attract the positive energies of capitalism and entrepreneurship unto me. Thus, I'm on the "exception to the rule" above, Argh! Poor me!
But seriously guys, if I had the chance to ask Joey Concepcion one question, I would have asked him -- Isn't Malacanang joking when they say they want to "promote entrepreneurship" while Malacanang is also the architect of many-many taxes, government fees, permits, licenses, inspections, accreditations, regulations? I mean, check www.doingbusiness.org, or WB and IFC websites (www.worldbank.org, www.ifc.org) on "Doing business", check on paying taxes. The Philippines has one of the most number of business-related taxes in the whole of Asia! In 2004 for instance, we were the "multiple tax capital of Asia" where medium-size businesses pay on average 62 different taxes and fees to the government, national and local -- much plentier than the socialist governments of China and Vietnam.
-------
Matt Monro... about this guy. I heard tokayo Noy Indonto that this man is actually no son of Matt Monro; rather, he was the son of Marilyn Monro! hehehehe. His voice is not as stratospheric as the voice of his father, but he got the aura and looks of the original Matt Monro, so he got some spell unto himself that he cast successfully unto his audience, and voila -- Matt Monro singing Barry Manilow, The Beatles and Queen!
When he sang the queen's "crazy little thing called love", I nearly pulled classmate Lilibeth de la Cruz or Rose Acoba to the stage and swing and gyrate like Freddie Mercury while Matt Monro was rockin n rollin that song! But I restrained myself, hehehe. When he sang "NY NY", that's when restrained energies of some of my classmates blurted out, and an instant broadway-dance-musicale was staged on the stage! Really, it was a colorful scene!
Joey Lina was lucky to have been selected by the man to duet with him. Joey was a big guy in the place -- he was the president of the host club and president of the hotel! Well, Joey sang like gamely. But if Matt chose another classmate, he may have been threatened that another singer sensation might displace him someday. We know the guy -- Inky Reyes! He can rock n roll, jazz n jest, swing and sway.
Sitti-Sitti, Otso-Otso
Another fun-filled part of Discon Day 1 was the Gov’s cocktail party at Allegria Lounge, Casino Filipino Pavilion. Two buses fetched us from Manila Hotel – to spare those who brought their cars the hassle of driving and looking for parking at the Pavilion.
It was a night of cocktails, beer and serbesa; wine and vino (not kulafu J); music and jamming, and dancin and rollin. And so that was Sitti Navarro – a name I’ve heard from some friends, a voice I’ve heard from some bars. Her voice is not as towering as many female professional singers, but she got the poise, and the admiration of the head of the District. Gov. Butch and wife Maling obviously enjoyed Sitti’s music. So Sitti serenaded everyone with her melodramatic voice, “bosa nova” style (not “liches-nova” J)
Two guys were lucky to have the opportunity to jam with her – Lorenz Tato’s clubmate, and Gov. Jimmy. The latter sang something like “I got you under my skin”, one of Toni Francisco’s favorites because she sings this song with a swaying head, smiling face and sometimes closed eyes. Toni, di ba yan ang kanta ng mga wrappers ng lumpia? Hehehe. I think Sitti made a mistake of not inviting to jam with her one of the silent but promising voices in the district – Ces Singzon! You guys heard him sing? I haven’t too! But I heard him preside in one of his club meetings. In one instance, he introduced his guest speaker rap style, ala-Francis Magalona! And in another, he parried a question during the open forum reggae style, ala-Bob Marley! Hehe, ayos ba obserbasyon ko Ces?
After the Sitti-sitti show, another band came up, the Souled Out Band, and it was an otso-otso show. Most of the remaining guys in the tables were enticed by this band to dance and roll on the dance floor! I thought that with the energies in various district and club activities of Rose Acoba, Jay Tambunting and other classmates, if these guys were rock singers, they should be in this band!
A male classmate whom I met a week after told me that he was knocked down with hang-over the following day after the Pavilion fellowships. Thus, he wasn't able to attend the 2nd day of the Discon! hehehe.
One of the sessions I enjoyed during the Discon, Dec. 7-8, was the "GoNegosyo".
The speakers there were:
1. Coring Ramos -- owner of National Bookstore
2. Vivienne Tan -- owner of Entrepreneurial School of Asia (ESA), daughter of lucio tan
3. Paolo Bediones -- showbiz na, biznezman pa; owns iTech.ph
4. Joey Concepcion -- pres/ceo of RFM corp., one of the country's biggest food conglomerates. But Joey went there as a government bureaucrat -- as "Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship"
5. Gov. Butch -- PAGCOR big boss
6. DGE Ato Magadia -- finance/petrochem big boss
Cito Beltran of ABS-CBN was the host.
All the speakers were very articulate. Well, they mean business when they open their mouth. Cito was also a good facilitator.
But what all the speakers failed to mention, or forgot to emphasize, was the role of handsomeness as business capital. Yeah -- you're good looking, like many of my male classmates, and that facilitates business transaction because it enhances the aura of good looks and good environment between you and your potential business partner. Some of you may ask, what or who do I mean? Well, no need to look far and out: see guys like Inky Reyes and Rey Alas; Boboy Intal and Ces Singson; Allan and Raffy Tuvera; Ricky Espiritu and Noy Indonto; and many more!
And yes, I would like to hazard to say that my face maybe qualified for the above criteria also, hehehe. EXCEPT that my good looks failed to attract the positive energies of capitalism and entrepreneurship unto me. Thus, I'm on the "exception to the rule" above, Argh! Poor me!
But seriously guys, if I had the chance to ask Joey Concepcion one question, I would have asked him -- Isn't Malacanang joking when they say they want to "promote entrepreneurship" while Malacanang is also the architect of many-many taxes, government fees, permits, licenses, inspections, accreditations, regulations? I mean, check www.doingbusiness.org, or WB and IFC websites (www.worldbank.org, www.ifc.org) on "Doing business", check on paying taxes. The Philippines has one of the most number of business-related taxes in the whole of Asia! In 2004 for instance, we were the "multiple tax capital of Asia" where medium-size businesses pay on average 62 different taxes and fees to the government, national and local -- much plentier than the socialist governments of China and Vietnam.
-------
Matt Monro... about this guy. I heard tokayo Noy Indonto that this man is actually no son of Matt Monro; rather, he was the son of Marilyn Monro! hehehehe. His voice is not as stratospheric as the voice of his father, but he got the aura and looks of the original Matt Monro, so he got some spell unto himself that he cast successfully unto his audience, and voila -- Matt Monro singing Barry Manilow, The Beatles and Queen!
When he sang the queen's "crazy little thing called love", I nearly pulled classmate Lilibeth de la Cruz or Rose Acoba to the stage and swing and gyrate like Freddie Mercury while Matt Monro was rockin n rollin that song! But I restrained myself, hehehe. When he sang "NY NY", that's when restrained energies of some of my classmates blurted out, and an instant broadway-dance-musicale was staged on the stage! Really, it was a colorful scene!
Joey Lina was lucky to have been selected by the man to duet with him. Joey was a big guy in the place -- he was the president of the host club and president of the hotel! Well, Joey sang like gamely. But if Matt chose another classmate, he may have been threatened that another singer sensation might displace him someday. We know the guy -- Inky Reyes! He can rock n roll, jazz n jest, swing and sway.
Sitti-Sitti, Otso-Otso
Another fun-filled part of Discon Day 1 was the Gov’s cocktail party at Allegria Lounge, Casino Filipino Pavilion. Two buses fetched us from Manila Hotel – to spare those who brought their cars the hassle of driving and looking for parking at the Pavilion.
It was a night of cocktails, beer and serbesa; wine and vino (not kulafu J); music and jamming, and dancin and rollin. And so that was Sitti Navarro – a name I’ve heard from some friends, a voice I’ve heard from some bars. Her voice is not as towering as many female professional singers, but she got the poise, and the admiration of the head of the District. Gov. Butch and wife Maling obviously enjoyed Sitti’s music. So Sitti serenaded everyone with her melodramatic voice, “bosa nova” style (not “liches-nova” J)
Two guys were lucky to have the opportunity to jam with her – Lorenz Tato’s clubmate, and Gov. Jimmy. The latter sang something like “I got you under my skin”, one of Toni Francisco’s favorites because she sings this song with a swaying head, smiling face and sometimes closed eyes. Toni, di ba yan ang kanta ng mga wrappers ng lumpia? Hehehe. I think Sitti made a mistake of not inviting to jam with her one of the silent but promising voices in the district – Ces Singzon! You guys heard him sing? I haven’t too! But I heard him preside in one of his club meetings. In one instance, he introduced his guest speaker rap style, ala-Francis Magalona! And in another, he parried a question during the open forum reggae style, ala-Bob Marley! Hehe, ayos ba obserbasyon ko Ces?
After the Sitti-sitti show, another band came up, the Souled Out Band, and it was an otso-otso show. Most of the remaining guys in the tables were enticed by this band to dance and roll on the dance floor! I thought that with the energies in various district and club activities of Rose Acoba, Jay Tambunting and other classmates, if these guys were rock singers, they should be in this band!
A male classmate whom I met a week after told me that he was knocked down with hang-over the following day after the Pavilion fellowships. Thus, he wasn't able to attend the 2nd day of the Discon! hehehe.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Club inductions
Club induction is one of those “big events”, if not the biggest event, in a club’s life where the club president and his/her club officers and directors show off what they got, and what kind of stuff they’re made of. Sort of some may be made of steel, some of wood, some of bamboo, some of dollars J. But overall, a club induction is a combination of solemnity and fun, of stress and laughter, of food and drinks, sometimes of music and dancing, of rockin’ and rollin’.
Although coming from a small club, some of my classmates who are blessed with steel and dollars really go out of their way to invite all of their classmates and a number of district officials to witness their club’s big event. If I was still a bachelor like 9 months ago, I would be tempted to attend each and every open-to-all invitation that will be thrown my way by my generous classmates. But with a working wife who is 6-7 months preggy, no driver and maid to help in the house, plus other personal constraints, not to mention some heavy rains, my time to attend those mouth-watering invitations would naturally be limited.
So I really feel bad that I have to pass on those kind invitations made by some classmates to attend their club inductions, some really grand, some really modest. Like the inductions of Jay Tambunting (Makati West), Allen Embuscado (Muntinlupa South), Ana Cawaling (Taguig West), Joey Lina (Makati Central), Tony Abella (Muntinlupa Central), and many others. There are other invitations along the line for the months of August and September, with a 50-50 chance that I will be able to attend.
Some days where my wife is feeling alive and kicking and well, and the venues are not far from our house, or the rains are more forgiving if not absent, that I get to attend some inductions. Like those of Ces Singson (Makati McKinley), Inky Reyes (Makati Dasmarias), and Boboy Intal (Rizal West). In Ces’ event, I was able to stay long in his grand party, joined the dancin’ and rollin’ on the floor. One of the female dance instructors that Ces got was good, and she also looked fantabulous. I asked her name, she said she’s “Bambi”. I quickly introduced myself as “Bamboo”, but she countered, “Eh sir, Nonoy pangalan nyo eh, nasa name nyo o!” Oo nga naman ano, hehehe.
At Inky’s induction, it was also grand, with lots of interviews and testaments from his friends shown on the projector how naughty and conspiratorial the man is. Err, I mean, how hard-working, witty and trying-hard singer he is. At Boboy’s party, equally grand and lots of familiar faces as Boboy’s club is the one which sponsored our club 6 years ago, and some of their club members would pay us a visit from time to time, cool guys like Fred Fortich and Nash Pablo.
When you attend those grand and big parties and your club membership is small and resources are so little, sometimes you feel intimidated. I thought those guys should have prepared their induction parties months in advance and contributed a fortune. While I only have a few weeks preparation. So I need to think of something new and different, that Gov. Butch, wife Maling, and a few friends can possibly remember as “Eureka! That was a slam-dunkin’ hell of a party!” Maybe a “minimalist party” where coats will be disallowed, and people come in sleeveless shirts with tie and jeans? Or a “world cup legend party” where people come in soccer shirts of Pele, Maradona, Kahn and Zidane? Or a “poetic party” where all speeches will be in the form of poetry, delivered sloooowwllyy but oratorically? Ahh, I haven’t decided on it yet. Maybe a few days before our induction party, hehehe.
Although coming from a small club, some of my classmates who are blessed with steel and dollars really go out of their way to invite all of their classmates and a number of district officials to witness their club’s big event. If I was still a bachelor like 9 months ago, I would be tempted to attend each and every open-to-all invitation that will be thrown my way by my generous classmates. But with a working wife who is 6-7 months preggy, no driver and maid to help in the house, plus other personal constraints, not to mention some heavy rains, my time to attend those mouth-watering invitations would naturally be limited.
So I really feel bad that I have to pass on those kind invitations made by some classmates to attend their club inductions, some really grand, some really modest. Like the inductions of Jay Tambunting (Makati West), Allen Embuscado (Muntinlupa South), Ana Cawaling (Taguig West), Joey Lina (Makati Central), Tony Abella (Muntinlupa Central), and many others. There are other invitations along the line for the months of August and September, with a 50-50 chance that I will be able to attend.
Some days where my wife is feeling alive and kicking and well, and the venues are not far from our house, or the rains are more forgiving if not absent, that I get to attend some inductions. Like those of Ces Singson (Makati McKinley), Inky Reyes (Makati Dasmarias), and Boboy Intal (Rizal West). In Ces’ event, I was able to stay long in his grand party, joined the dancin’ and rollin’ on the floor. One of the female dance instructors that Ces got was good, and she also looked fantabulous. I asked her name, she said she’s “Bambi”. I quickly introduced myself as “Bamboo”, but she countered, “Eh sir, Nonoy pangalan nyo eh, nasa name nyo o!” Oo nga naman ano, hehehe.
At Inky’s induction, it was also grand, with lots of interviews and testaments from his friends shown on the projector how naughty and conspiratorial the man is. Err, I mean, how hard-working, witty and trying-hard singer he is. At Boboy’s party, equally grand and lots of familiar faces as Boboy’s club is the one which sponsored our club 6 years ago, and some of their club members would pay us a visit from time to time, cool guys like Fred Fortich and Nash Pablo.
When you attend those grand and big parties and your club membership is small and resources are so little, sometimes you feel intimidated. I thought those guys should have prepared their induction parties months in advance and contributed a fortune. While I only have a few weeks preparation. So I need to think of something new and different, that Gov. Butch, wife Maling, and a few friends can possibly remember as “Eureka! That was a slam-dunkin’ hell of a party!” Maybe a “minimalist party” where coats will be disallowed, and people come in sleeveless shirts with tie and jeans? Or a “world cup legend party” where people come in soccer shirts of Pele, Maradona, Kahn and Zidane? Or a “poetic party” where all speeches will be in the form of poetry, delivered sloooowwllyy but oratorically? Ahh, I haven’t decided on it yet. Maybe a few days before our induction party, hehehe.
District Award & Handover, 2006
June 28, 2006
The day started with a friend who texted me that he saw me in the newspaper, along with other rotary club presidents and officers of District 3830. I immediately sought Business Mirror, the paper where our pictures and names were boldly displayed in its center 2 pages. It was good not only to see your handsome or beautiful face in the papers (hehehe), but also to remember again the names and faces of some of your classmates that escape your memory.
I have never attended a district awards and handover ceremony before. My idea was that it will mainly be a formal “turn-over of command” between the outgoing governor to the incoming governor, and both will be surrounded by a phalanx of happy and unburdened outgoing club presidents and district officers on the one hand, and “hot-and-raring-for-action” incoming club presidents and district officers on the other. So I was curious what it really looks like.
The main ballroom of Manila Polo Club was already teeming with people when I registered before 6pm. The main ballroom was elaborately and colorfully decorated, from the ceiling down the stage. It was announced later that district fantastic lady Lita Wells was responsible for such an imaginative task. The “outgoing” guys, club presidents, club and district officers, on the right side (the “rightists” :-)), the “incoming" guys on the left side (the “leftists” :-0).
Of course it’s nice to see again many of my classmates. Some even brought a number of their club officers. A gathering is also never complete without picture taking with your favorite friends and famous district leaders.
Program started shortly after 7pm, with opening videos of F1 cars slamming the racetracks at nearly 300 kph average speed, signaling perhaps faster and more daring district and clubs performance for the past rotary year. The MCs for that evening were Rotarians showbiz lady Ms. Cory Quirino and flamboyant guy Mr. Rene Aquino.
And so, a District Awards night is a long list of good and outstanding clubs and club presidents in various categories and services. I thought that perhaps outgoing Gov. Jimmy Cura must have brought a van full of plaques, framed certificates and recognitions. Among the great achievements I could remember, were clubs who were able to retain 100% all of their 60+ members, like Sonny Tambunting’s RC Makati. And there was a club who was able to increase its net membership by 20+ people.
There was one part of the Awarding just for selected and outstanding district officials who gave lots of “wind beneath my wings” push for Gov. Jimmy and the various clubs. I wholeheartedly agree with the Gov. with the names that he chose – past district governors Willy Segovia and Sonny Coloma, Nash Pablo, Fed Sapitan, Fritz Ocampo, Lita Wells, Sue Sta. Maria, Al Montecilio, and another 1 or 2 whose names I forgot. For me, they are among the intellectual giants, and/or administrative giants, of the district.
And the much-awaited part of the program, the formal hand-over of leadership from ever-articulate Gov. Jimmy to ever-smiling and respected Gov. Butch Francisco, came. It was a really solemn, if not emotional, part. Gov. Butch came up stage with beautiful wife Maling and their only child Rafa. I could sense paused breath, awe and excitement amidst the silence of the crowd as they stood and watched every second and minute of that moment. It was like the crowd was treated to that scene where Frodo and Sam were approaching that narrow corridor of the Temple of Doom for Frodo to throw the “lord of the rings” into a valley of fire below, as treacherous Smeagol attempts his last hurrah to steal the ring from Frodo.
A number of really good singers were also invited to give a song or 2 in between the programs. I remember 2 professional singers there, lean and model-like Ms. Chanda and Jed Madela. My gosh, those guys really sing well live on stage than on tv. Jed sang “bridge over troubled waters” as videos and photos of selected community projects by some clubs in the district were shown on the projector, before Gov. made his acceptance speech.
The program ended around 11:30pm. No fireworks display outside; only happy faces to those club members and presidents whose efforts in the past rotary year have been recognized.
The day started with a friend who texted me that he saw me in the newspaper, along with other rotary club presidents and officers of District 3830. I immediately sought Business Mirror, the paper where our pictures and names were boldly displayed in its center 2 pages. It was good not only to see your handsome or beautiful face in the papers (hehehe), but also to remember again the names and faces of some of your classmates that escape your memory.
I have never attended a district awards and handover ceremony before. My idea was that it will mainly be a formal “turn-over of command” between the outgoing governor to the incoming governor, and both will be surrounded by a phalanx of happy and unburdened outgoing club presidents and district officers on the one hand, and “hot-and-raring-for-action” incoming club presidents and district officers on the other. So I was curious what it really looks like.
The main ballroom of Manila Polo Club was already teeming with people when I registered before 6pm. The main ballroom was elaborately and colorfully decorated, from the ceiling down the stage. It was announced later that district fantastic lady Lita Wells was responsible for such an imaginative task. The “outgoing” guys, club presidents, club and district officers, on the right side (the “rightists” :-)), the “incoming" guys on the left side (the “leftists” :-0).
Of course it’s nice to see again many of my classmates. Some even brought a number of their club officers. A gathering is also never complete without picture taking with your favorite friends and famous district leaders.
Program started shortly after 7pm, with opening videos of F1 cars slamming the racetracks at nearly 300 kph average speed, signaling perhaps faster and more daring district and clubs performance for the past rotary year. The MCs for that evening were Rotarians showbiz lady Ms. Cory Quirino and flamboyant guy Mr. Rene Aquino.
And so, a District Awards night is a long list of good and outstanding clubs and club presidents in various categories and services. I thought that perhaps outgoing Gov. Jimmy Cura must have brought a van full of plaques, framed certificates and recognitions. Among the great achievements I could remember, were clubs who were able to retain 100% all of their 60+ members, like Sonny Tambunting’s RC Makati. And there was a club who was able to increase its net membership by 20+ people.
There was one part of the Awarding just for selected and outstanding district officials who gave lots of “wind beneath my wings” push for Gov. Jimmy and the various clubs. I wholeheartedly agree with the Gov. with the names that he chose – past district governors Willy Segovia and Sonny Coloma, Nash Pablo, Fed Sapitan, Fritz Ocampo, Lita Wells, Sue Sta. Maria, Al Montecilio, and another 1 or 2 whose names I forgot. For me, they are among the intellectual giants, and/or administrative giants, of the district.
And the much-awaited part of the program, the formal hand-over of leadership from ever-articulate Gov. Jimmy to ever-smiling and respected Gov. Butch Francisco, came. It was a really solemn, if not emotional, part. Gov. Butch came up stage with beautiful wife Maling and their only child Rafa. I could sense paused breath, awe and excitement amidst the silence of the crowd as they stood and watched every second and minute of that moment. It was like the crowd was treated to that scene where Frodo and Sam were approaching that narrow corridor of the Temple of Doom for Frodo to throw the “lord of the rings” into a valley of fire below, as treacherous Smeagol attempts his last hurrah to steal the ring from Frodo.
A number of really good singers were also invited to give a song or 2 in between the programs. I remember 2 professional singers there, lean and model-like Ms. Chanda and Jed Madela. My gosh, those guys really sing well live on stage than on tv. Jed sang “bridge over troubled waters” as videos and photos of selected community projects by some clubs in the district were shown on the projector, before Gov. made his acceptance speech.
The program ended around 11:30pm. No fireworks display outside; only happy faces to those club members and presidents whose efforts in the past rotary year have been recognized.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Recruit, recruit...
Retention and recruitment (of members), two concepts that are supposed to be "natural" trajectories of rotary clubs, but have become sort of "elusive" for a number of clubs from many districts, both big and small clubs. This is particuarly true for our club with only 10 members.
So, during the official visit of our incoming Assistant Governor for the cluster, Edgar Castillo, middle of last month, this thing naturally cropped up. AG Edgar was accompanied by incoming District Membership Committee Chairman and PP Fed Sapitan. These 2 guys are cool. AG Edgar scoured through the series of questions (ala-multiple choice) in the "Planning Guide for Effective Rotary Clubs", discussed the answers that I gave, from target membership by the end of my term, community projects, and so on. While PP Fed focused on his field: membership expansion. Fed even addressed the past presidents (PPs), pointed out that "Somehow, PPs have bigger responsibility in recruitment than the current President because if membership will fall and the club is delisted from RI, you become a PP of a non-existence club."
We've had several discussions in the club in the past why we couldn't make those who have come once to come back. One of the reasons that we identified was our meeting place, which may not be so impressive for our recruits; so we changed venues. Another reason we identified was we did not have a regular series of talks that can attract people, so we planned on a number of talks and speakers. For some reasons we did not push this, partly because we don't have enough warm bodies to fill the room and give our proposed speakers a good number of audience.
Personally, I went through a list of my friends whom I should recruit. I have three criteria in selecting my potential recruits from among my friends. First, they preferably be males, since our meetings are on (Monday) evenings. Second, their office or residence should be not far from Fort Bonifacio, so they can either come quicker, or go home quicker. And third, they do not have family time constraints (like the wife is pregnant, or having months-old baby), or do not belong to other organizations that also require their weekly presence.
I realized later that I may have made my criteria rather strict, because from among my friends, I was able to identify only about 7, and 4 of them have immediately expressed regrets when I talked to them due to other commitment (work, family, church). So I am down to following up with only 3 among my male friends. So far, 2 of them have come at least once, and I just hope that they will ultimately join our club.
So, I will have to relax my personal criteria in inviting from among my friends. Meanwhile, other members of my club have started bringing in their own recruits. Two new recruits are "inductible", we'll do it during our club hand-over ceremony early next month. A member that has been inactive for the past 3 or 4 years suddenly called up and said he'll be active again, so that's another good news for us. We are waiting for other recruits of other members to show up in the coming weeks.
Slowly, patience and perseverance should work in our favor.
So, during the official visit of our incoming Assistant Governor for the cluster, Edgar Castillo, middle of last month, this thing naturally cropped up. AG Edgar was accompanied by incoming District Membership Committee Chairman and PP Fed Sapitan. These 2 guys are cool. AG Edgar scoured through the series of questions (ala-multiple choice) in the "Planning Guide for Effective Rotary Clubs", discussed the answers that I gave, from target membership by the end of my term, community projects, and so on. While PP Fed focused on his field: membership expansion. Fed even addressed the past presidents (PPs), pointed out that "Somehow, PPs have bigger responsibility in recruitment than the current President because if membership will fall and the club is delisted from RI, you become a PP of a non-existence club."
We've had several discussions in the club in the past why we couldn't make those who have come once to come back. One of the reasons that we identified was our meeting place, which may not be so impressive for our recruits; so we changed venues. Another reason we identified was we did not have a regular series of talks that can attract people, so we planned on a number of talks and speakers. For some reasons we did not push this, partly because we don't have enough warm bodies to fill the room and give our proposed speakers a good number of audience.
Personally, I went through a list of my friends whom I should recruit. I have three criteria in selecting my potential recruits from among my friends. First, they preferably be males, since our meetings are on (Monday) evenings. Second, their office or residence should be not far from Fort Bonifacio, so they can either come quicker, or go home quicker. And third, they do not have family time constraints (like the wife is pregnant, or having months-old baby), or do not belong to other organizations that also require their weekly presence.
I realized later that I may have made my criteria rather strict, because from among my friends, I was able to identify only about 7, and 4 of them have immediately expressed regrets when I talked to them due to other commitment (work, family, church). So I am down to following up with only 3 among my male friends. So far, 2 of them have come at least once, and I just hope that they will ultimately join our club.
So, I will have to relax my personal criteria in inviting from among my friends. Meanwhile, other members of my club have started bringing in their own recruits. Two new recruits are "inductible", we'll do it during our club hand-over ceremony early next month. A member that has been inactive for the past 3 or 4 years suddenly called up and said he'll be active again, so that's another good news for us. We are waiting for other recruits of other members to show up in the coming weeks.
Slowly, patience and perseverance should work in our favor.
Distass, May 6
Last May 6, we attended the 2nd and last required training seminars for PEs, the District Assembly or Distass (the first was the PETS, last March). Host club here was the RC of Makati Center, under Serving President Leonardo "Nards" Tanlu. The activity was held in Canyon Woods Resort Club, in Laurel, Batangas.
Like the PETS, I again hitched with classmate Rey Alas (hey, we're neighbor), PE of RC Makati-Nielsen, along with Joel Ciron, PP of our club.
Several times in the past, I have passed by Canyon Woods (between Tagaytay and Lemery) and I was always curious how it looks inside. So the Distas was my first opportunity to finally enter the resort. And wow, it's really grand! The clubhouse is huge, and the posts, huge and rounded cement posts, they look like giant wood trunks.
Before the program proper, PEs have again posed for a group picture with Gov-Elect Butch Francisco and wife Maling. As usual, people have good smiles whenever you lump them in a big group and lots of cameras clicking and flashing in front of them.
Gov. Jimmy Cura was in his usual stance -- delivering eloquent, extemporaneous (no notes) and inspiring opening address. Gov-Elect Butch is also in his usual poise -- always smiling, and doesn't talk long.
Our main resource speaker that day was PDG Bill Dethlefs from Australia, who spoke on "To serve we must grow", showing some numbers about membership, and emphasizing the need to retain and develop current members and recruit new ones.
The luncheon plenary was rather long. There were 5 topics delivered by 5 panelists: DSWD Sec. Esperanza Cabral on Hunger, RC Makati PP Puno Pena on Health, RC Makati JPRizal PP Lita Wells on Literacy, RC Makati PP Tito Panlilio, and RC Makati Dasmarinas PP Ding Dizon on Family of Rotary.
But what made things bad, even intolerable for others, was the delayed serving of lunch! I was able to finish my lunch about 1:45pm; somehow I was lucky because others haven't eaten until past 2:30pm.
The afternoon group sessions was more dynamic. District officials on one group, club secretaries and other club officers on another group, spouses on another group, and our group, the PEs, on another. Naturally, DGE Butch was our main panel speaker. I still cannot remember the names of many of my classmates, but many dished out valid issues and questions. One of them suggested that instead of a scheme where clubs compete with each other for points to get awards, the system be changed to non-competitive point system where some clubs would earn sort of "summa cum laude", others "cum laude", and so on. This way, clubs will be competing not against each other, but within themselves how much work they can accomplish, from membership expansion to having Paul Harris fellows to community/youth/international services.
Classmate Inky Reyes voiced out his members' concerns that although DGE Butch wants club inductions to be as simple and austere as much as possible to earn points, his members want to have a grand party at a grand place, and he's going to invite all of us, fellow Presidents, to witness that big event in their club. We applauded the man of course, for that very early invitation. I even suggested to Gov. Butch that we better do away with the points system for the club induction because while Inky will not get points, he will make us happy with a sumptuous food and drinks treat! But Gov. Butch replied that he'll keep the said points system for club inductions. If some guys would throw a lavish party, no problem; if others will be austere about it, no problem either.
Then another session on same groupings. Our session was "Using new technology", led by PDG Willy Segovia and PP Fritz Ocampo. They talk about using the web for our education on RI matters, how to use web-based texting, and so on. Gov. Willy even gave away 2 discs, one on downloaded important RI materials especially on TRF, and another on Powertext software.
The program was ended with a group singing of "Lead the way" (tune of "happy heart") with classmate Joey Lina as lead singer.
We left Canyon Woods rather dark, past 7pm. This time, Joel and I hitched with PP Herman Gapac on our way back to Makati as Rey Alas has to go to Alabang for some business meeting.
Whew, formal district trainings are over. The challenge of actual club work and trainings still beckoning...
Like the PETS, I again hitched with classmate Rey Alas (hey, we're neighbor), PE of RC Makati-Nielsen, along with Joel Ciron, PP of our club.
Several times in the past, I have passed by Canyon Woods (between Tagaytay and Lemery) and I was always curious how it looks inside. So the Distas was my first opportunity to finally enter the resort. And wow, it's really grand! The clubhouse is huge, and the posts, huge and rounded cement posts, they look like giant wood trunks.
Before the program proper, PEs have again posed for a group picture with Gov-Elect Butch Francisco and wife Maling. As usual, people have good smiles whenever you lump them in a big group and lots of cameras clicking and flashing in front of them.
Gov. Jimmy Cura was in his usual stance -- delivering eloquent, extemporaneous (no notes) and inspiring opening address. Gov-Elect Butch is also in his usual poise -- always smiling, and doesn't talk long.
Our main resource speaker that day was PDG Bill Dethlefs from Australia, who spoke on "To serve we must grow", showing some numbers about membership, and emphasizing the need to retain and develop current members and recruit new ones.
The luncheon plenary was rather long. There were 5 topics delivered by 5 panelists: DSWD Sec. Esperanza Cabral on Hunger, RC Makati PP Puno Pena on Health, RC Makati JPRizal PP Lita Wells on Literacy, RC Makati PP Tito Panlilio, and RC Makati Dasmarinas PP Ding Dizon on Family of Rotary.
But what made things bad, even intolerable for others, was the delayed serving of lunch! I was able to finish my lunch about 1:45pm; somehow I was lucky because others haven't eaten until past 2:30pm.
The afternoon group sessions was more dynamic. District officials on one group, club secretaries and other club officers on another group, spouses on another group, and our group, the PEs, on another. Naturally, DGE Butch was our main panel speaker. I still cannot remember the names of many of my classmates, but many dished out valid issues and questions. One of them suggested that instead of a scheme where clubs compete with each other for points to get awards, the system be changed to non-competitive point system where some clubs would earn sort of "summa cum laude", others "cum laude", and so on. This way, clubs will be competing not against each other, but within themselves how much work they can accomplish, from membership expansion to having Paul Harris fellows to community/youth/international services.
Classmate Inky Reyes voiced out his members' concerns that although DGE Butch wants club inductions to be as simple and austere as much as possible to earn points, his members want to have a grand party at a grand place, and he's going to invite all of us, fellow Presidents, to witness that big event in their club. We applauded the man of course, for that very early invitation. I even suggested to Gov. Butch that we better do away with the points system for the club induction because while Inky will not get points, he will make us happy with a sumptuous food and drinks treat! But Gov. Butch replied that he'll keep the said points system for club inductions. If some guys would throw a lavish party, no problem; if others will be austere about it, no problem either.
Then another session on same groupings. Our session was "Using new technology", led by PDG Willy Segovia and PP Fritz Ocampo. They talk about using the web for our education on RI matters, how to use web-based texting, and so on. Gov. Willy even gave away 2 discs, one on downloaded important RI materials especially on TRF, and another on Powertext software.
The program was ended with a group singing of "Lead the way" (tune of "happy heart") with classmate Joey Lina as lead singer.
We left Canyon Woods rather dark, past 7pm. This time, Joel and I hitched with PP Herman Gapac on our way back to Makati as Rey Alas has to go to Alabang for some business meeting.
Whew, formal district trainings are over. The challenge of actual club work and trainings still beckoning...
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