Welcome To

ROTARY CLUB OF CEBU

Club 17102 District 3860

The Rotary Club of Cebu was founded in 1932 and is one of the oldest Rotary clubs in Asia.

Rotary International is the world's first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio under the motto Service Above Self.

Object of Rotary

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;

SECOND: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;

THIRD: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;

FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

What is Rotary?

Rotary International is a volunteer organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service, and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. There are approximately 1.2 million Rotary Club members belonging to 33,000 Rotary Clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.

90 YEARS!! It is an honor to be given this opportunity to lead the Rotary Club of Cebu on its diamond year. But tonight is more than a handover ceremony; this evening’s gathering is also to commemorate the year that was. Every year brings its own trials – this past year especially – and our President and his officers rose to every challenge.

We have all heard stories tonight from this past Rotary year with President Jacob at the helm

What a tremendous year it has been. I want to thank and congratulate him and his officers again for the amazing work they have done, steering the rotary club of Cebu to be of greatest service to humanity during these times: from fighting covid, to providing disaster relief that allowed Cebuanos

to rebuild their homes and communities after the devastation of typhoon Odette.

These good men could not be kept down.

They say the position seeks the man and indeed it has done so with President Jacob. He has proven more than worthy and has led this club with the utmost humility and an extreme dedication that is admired by many and has inspired even more.

The Rotary Club of Cebu is fortunate to have been under his leadership during this past year, just as it has been fortunate to have been led by many other great presidents over these 90 years. As we try to remember and honor them tonight, I am filled with a great sense of trepidation by the responsibility that comes with following their footsteps.

This past year, the Rotary Club of Cebu was named the top club in District 3860. And our district, under the leadership of Governor Anna Louisa Bumagat, was the top district in the whole country! Next year we will be led by another equally promising woman Governor, Lilu Alino. AND for the first time ever, Rotary International will also welcome its first female President: Jennifer Jones… Isn’t that wonderful? I take comfort knowing that Rotary is in such capable hands.

As president, Jennifer Jones has challenged all Rotarians with this year's theme: IMAGINE ROTARY!

When I first heard this, I thought, “GREAT!” Finally, here's my chance to kick back, relax and be an "imaginary" president.

But to be serious, I can’t think of a more relevant theme for a club in our position. As the incoming President, I’ve had to ask myself these questions:

How do you lead a 90-year-old club to continue to be relevant?

How do we avoid going the way of the dinosaurs and becoming extinct?

How do we adapt to the changing world of rotary – not just adapt but to thrive and continue to lead by example?

How can we do better?

These are questions that our club will have to answer in time, but I believe the challenge to imagine is the challenge to BE MORE IMAGINATIVE, to think outside the box, to innovate, to think BIG.

It is in these areas that I am reassured by the passion and strength of our members’ and their continued spirit to serve, to help and to give. This passion is in our club's DNA and like a good wine... our club seems to be getting better with age.

This what we do: we thrive in adversity, we have been tested, and we have stepped up. We are the proud members of possibly the greatest rotary club in the world! the 90-year-old Rotary club of Cebu!

I would like to thank you all so very much for this opportunity to serve. May this evening’s celebration be seen not as the end of one term and the beginning of another, but as another seamless transition of leaders in the history of our great club!