What Are We In Power For?
By
Dennis Valdes

It’s been two weeks since my last column and so much has happened in the Rotary world in that short span of time.

First, let me report to everyone that PE Paul Chuatico successfully completed his PETS (President Elect Training Seminar) last February 25-27 at Canyon Woods in Tagaytay. PKC reports that the event was an eye-opener – as every RCMA PE going through PETS discovers – that RCMA is truly one of the premier clubs in the District.

That may sound boastful to some of you, but I am merely stating a fact. RCMA has had a number of outstanding Presidents in the past years and this has really made the District Governor and other District Officers sit up and take notice of the club. More and more RCMA Past Presidents are being invited to become District Officers. In fact, I predict that our club may produce our first District Governor within the next 5-7 years.

Held at the same time and place as PETS was DOTS or the District Officers Training Seminar. IPP Miguel Puyat and myself were invited to participate in DOTS. Miguel will be Deputy District Secretary next year, just two rungs away from the top post in the District.

As for me, DGE Jun Perez has invited me to be an Assistant Governor for Operations, handling RC Makati Ayala, Makati Amorsolo and Makati Salcedo. Don’t be too impressed. In the new District leadership plan, virtually every current president gets to be invited to be an AG.

The Monday after PETS and DOTS (the 28^th), we were back in the Tagaytay area, this time for the 7^th All Makati Golf Classic at Riviera. As usual, RCMA sent two teams of golfers – as we continued our unwavering support for our mother club, RC Makati. Both teams did not do too well though, much to the disappointment of Sports Chairman Dindo Litonjua. Of course, as always, RCMA was a standout anyway, in our excellent golf uniforms, courtesy of Rtn. Mike Sy.

Wednesday, the 1^st of March, Community Service Director Dong Abad Santos held his 7^th Medical/Dental Mission for the year and the first for the new millennium. Congratulations to Dir. Dong – at this pace, he may set a record for the most RCMA Medical Missions in one year ever. Assisting Dir. Dong was our ever-loyal PP Sammy Tanchoco, who in fact was also the first to arrive. Doc Sammy participated in the Mission, attending to quite a number of patients.

The Mission was held at the Pamantasan ng Makati and was planned and staffed by our truly excellent Rotaract Club – they arranged for everything, thus making Dir. Dong’s life much easier. The Mission was also the first to be held on a weekday this year, to coincide with the Foundation Day of the Pamantasan. Let me congratulate all the RCMA’ers who came to the Mission, especially Baby Rotarians George and Marco. Key question to the group this morning will be: How many have attended at least one Medical Mission this year?

By Wednesday evening, Discon preparations were in full force. IPP Miguel, PE Paul and I started by hosting a dinner for the foreign delegations from Korea and Indonesia. The dinner was held at the request of PDG Tony Rufino as our way of assisting RC Makati West in entertaining their dignitaries.

It turned out to be a very drunken evening as the Korean DGE, Gov. Kang, tested our alcohol limits with several rounds of puk tan jiu. This Korean drinking style is not for the faint of liver, as it involves downing in "bottoms up" fashion, a glass of beer which has been fortified with a shot of whiskey. (For good measure, the shot glass is left inside the beer glass.) Luckily, all three of us were able to avoid embarrassing ourselves by reliving our prowess at collegiate level alcohol consumption.

Discon started on Thursday and finished Saturday evening. Let me report one effect of Discon is that I have developed a dislike for chicken – thanks to the endless varieties of rubber chicken that were served for lunch and dinner each day.

The highlights of the three-day event were the speeches of RI President’s Representative and coincidentally, also RI President Nominee Richard King. Rick, who will be RI President when PE Mon Mayuga takes office in 2001, is an excellent public speaker. In fact, I am hoping to show his speeches to the club in lieu of a guest speaker one of these days.

I think we may have set a club record for Discon attendance. At last count, at least 21 RCMA members had dropped by at some time or another to check out the proceedings. I must commend Baby Rotarians George Lagos and Joemarie Sy for staying through quite a bit of the proceedings. Our Rotaract Club was also there in full force – over ten of them arrived and stayed throughout.

Sec. Alvin Co reports that our Guest Speaker this morning may be Mr. George Walker, arguably the most famous golf teaching professional in the country today. If so RCMA’ers, note that Mr. Walker is the first in a series of excellent speakers we are planning to bring to the club in the next few months – in a bid to spike our attendance records to new highs.

By the way, today is Ash Wednesday, so our breakfast fare is designed to accommodate those who are fasting and abstaining. If you don’t think you’ll enjoy it, I suggest you go the abstention route.