The partnership between RC Makati and the Office of the Vice President that merges the Club’s RCM Learning Center and the OVP’s Community Learning Hub received an affirmative boost on January 21st when Pres. Peter Manzano & First Ann Pam joined Vice President Leni Robredoon a visit to two of the facilities in Lucena, Quezon. The objective of the visits, both unannounced, was to personally observe the operations of the Centers and how the students are making use of the devices and modules in the blended learning environment.The two facilities are recipients of the Club’s donation of 117 Dell desktop computers to the OVP last December—five units serving some 139 learners in Brgy. Talao-Talao and seven units supporting over 151 students in Brgy. Cotta.The hubs are designed to assist learners who have no access to the educational materials, devices and internet connectivity required for distance learning. The hubs are manned by volunteers who conduct regular tutorial lessons for the students; operations are supported by the barangay, which shoulders the cost of utilities like electricity and internet service. RC Makati and the OVP plan to put up more RCM Learning Centers /Community Learning Hubs in places across the country to help ensure the success of the distance learning scheme.

On January 8, Pres. Peter & First Ann Pam, together with their children, paid a visit to RC Narvacan to turn over 20 Samsung tablets for the use of as many poor but deserving students in their distance learning classes. This project is under the umbrella of RC Makati’s “Education Under a New Normal.” Our clubs are connected by our shared interest in and concern for education and the environment.

On the same day, Pres. Peter turned over to Colonel Harold Depositar, PNP Makati Police Chief, a wheelchair meant for a Mrs. Elsa Bibar, who suffered a stroke and whose movement has been impaired. The wheelchair will be handed over to Mrs. Bibar sometime this month in connection with the PNP’s celebration of Women’s Month.

As the coronavirus that causes Cov-id-19 continues to wreak havoc on lives and livelihoods everywhere, gov-ernments and private enterprises are doing all they can to fight back. One of the ways to do this is for private entities to provide badly-needed equipment, devices and supplies to financially-chal-lenged hospitals and other medical care facilities, to help them do their job of saving lives and giving hope.Last January 14, the Club kicked off the rollout of such donations with the turnover of 675 personal protective equipment (PPE), 10 hepa filters, 8 air purifying respirators and 100 pulse oxi-meters to Ospital ng Paranaque.The donation was formalized with the inking of a deed of donation by Pres. Peter Manzano for the Club and Dr. Jefferson R. Pagsisihan, hospital director, and Dr. Lea Grace Vasquez, hospital administrator, for Ospital ng Paranaque, with PDG Ador Tolentinoas witness.The donations are funded by a USD155K global grant applied for and approved by The Rotary Foundation last year, during the term of IPP Bimbo Mills, with PP Reggie Nolido as chair. Partnering to put up the global grant were R. I. District 3830 clubs, under Gov. Ador Tolentino, which contribut-ed USD20,000; the Rotary Club of Wu Kung-Taiwan, which put in USD70,000; and our own Club, RC Makati, with a share of USD21,000. The rest of the grant was provided by TRF’s World Fund.The grant covers donations of hos-pital equipment to eight hospitals and one LGU.

President Peter, First Ann Pam Manzano, together with the presidents of RC Paranaque Metro and a few other clubs in District 3830, drove northwest of the metro last Saturday, February 6, for a meeting with their local partner Task Force Morong to assess the needs of the community on a joint water project in Morong, Bataan. The project, a joint undertaking with the Rotary Club of Paranaque Metro, wi th support from a number of other clubs, calls for the construction of a water impounding structure in Barangay Binaritan to supply the residents of the Morong Upland Homeowners Association with water for their household and farming needs. Directly benefiting from the project are 200 families residing in the area. The impounding facility, located about a kilometre from the community it is to serve, is designed to hold up to 12,000 US gallons of water, which will be sourced from a river watershed. The funding requirement of P100,000, which covers cost of 01 materials such as cement, gravel and sand, rebars and pvc pipes, is shared by the clubs, with P50K provided by RC Makati and the balance of P50K put up by the other clubs. The cost of labor is not factored in because the Morong Task Force Kalikasan has been tasked to contribute sweat equity, with members to work on the project the bayanihan way. The project is scheduled for completion in three months.

“Supporting the Environment” is one of the areas of focus Rotary Clubs are enjoined to apply their time and resources to; it is actually the 7th, added last year to the original six Areas of Focus. It was added in recognition of the existential importance of environmental matters. One of the aspect of the environment that is most concerning is the situation of our oceans and the damage they have been and are being subjected to. We refer, specifically, to coral reefs, dying or dead, that need rehabilitation and regeneration, a problem many Rotary Clubs are taking notice of and doing something about. Pres. Peter Manzano, keenly aware of the urgency of the need to move forward on this matter, was in San Esteban, Ilocos Sur with First Ann Pam on February 11 to personally see the progress of a reef buds project put in place by the local government unit some years back, and to speak to the proponents, in the hope of learning valuable lessons about the installation and care of reef buds that he can apply in a similar project he plans to initiate. Joining Pres. Peter and First Ann Pam in the trip was PP Benjie Tayag of RC Paranaque who, in tandem with an Austrian geoscientist, invented the reef buds technology designed to revive damaged near-shore marine ecosystems. While there, Pres. Peter scouted around the neighboring towns for appropriate sites for his planned reef buds project which is aimed at rehabilitating moribund coral reefs and revive the local fishing industry, to provide sustainable and gainful employment to the local fisherfolk.

November has been a challenging month for our country. Perhaps “challenging” does not quite describe it. Because for tens of thousands of Filipino families, November has been nothing short of miserable. The misery started on the very first day of the month, with a ferocious typhoon, packing 215 kph winds with gusts of 265 kph, eclipsing the record held by Yolanda (Haiyan) which devastated the Visayas in 2013. Living up to its name, Super Typhoon Rolly whipped violent winds that swept vast areas, dumping unrelenting rains as it moved, and leaving a path of destruction that will take months, if not years, to rebuild. Rolly made four landfalls in four provinces, rolling on after battering a place, each time picking up strength to barrel through its next destination. The most disastrous was the first, in Bato, Catanduanes; its next stop was in Tiwi, Albay; the third was in San Narciso, Quezon; and the last was in Lobo, Batangas. But it reserved its most wrathful power for the provinces in the Bicol Region. That’s where Pres. Peter Manzano focused the Club’s first relief mission during his term, which saw them delivering over P1M worth of goods to over 3,000 families in five sites and one institution. With First Ann Pam, CoS Ron Dotaro and photographer Richard Manilag, the team left Manila in the evening of Tuesday, November 3, arriving in Naga, Camarines Sur at dawn the following day. Despite the long trip and little sleep, they were all set for the work they had come to perform. Before 10:00 AM, they made their way through rough and flooded roads to the designated site in Brgy. Salingogon in Minalabac. Partnering with the Office of the Vice President, they distributed food bags each valued at P500 to 500 families. Significantly, Vice President Leni Robredo was there to personally help with the relief operations. In her brief message, she thanked the Club for the relief assistance in her hometown and acknowledged our past collaborations, particularly in the dormitory project for high school girls in Bukidnon and Negros Oriental. It must be mentioned that we were assisted by the Lions Club of Naga whose members, led by Pres. Leanne Montemayor, provided manpower for the packing of goods. Before proceeding to Legaspi City, Pres. Peter hosted lunch for the Lions as a gesture of appreciation and thanks for their support. The team then proceeded to Legaspi City in Albay, where relief operations were conducted in two barangays -- Brgys. Penaranda and Puro, each with 500 recipients of food bags worth P250 each. The relief operations in both sites were overseen by PP Japps Callos of RC Metro Sorsogon, which provided logistics and manpower for repacking of goods. Our partner in these operations was ABS-CBN’s Sagip Kapamilya, led by Jen Reyes, who coordinated the relief distribution and arranged an interview of Pres. Peter on a local TV station. They spent the night in the city, home to majestic Mayon Volcano. On Thursday the 5th, they motored to Brgy. Gapo in neighboring Camalig where they handed out 250 sets of mats and blankets worth P100K as well as 500 pairs of sandals donated by Taba Samson. There they were assisted by Area 4 Bicol clubs that also gave away goods and supervised the very orderly operations. Next stop was Guinobatan, the hardest hit town in Albay, which suffered casualties and where many houses were totally destroyed. There they served 1,000 families, giving them food bags worth P250 each. Wanting to get back to Manila in time for more relief ops the following day, the team travelled back to Naga, passing by Ateneo de Naga for a brief visit that allowed Pres. Peter to hand to Ateneo de Naga President Fr. Robert Rivera, a check for P200K as the Club’s contribution towards the repair of the school, which had been damaged by the typhoon. Half of the amount came from PDG Sid Garcia. Providentially, the Ateneo visit led to our team reconnecting with RC Naga, a long lost Brother Club. Pres. Peter and RC Naga Pres. Jojo Prieto promised to revive our brotherhood relations and even considered a virtual joint meeting via Zoom. The trip back to the big city offered some sleep, just enough rest to recharge after two hectic days, to get them ready for yet another day of delivering badly needed goods to families, some of whom had lost loved ones, most of whom had lost their homes and the earthly belongings that had taken a lifetime to acquire and would likely take another lifetime to replace. Thanks to our members and friends who, responding to Pres. Peter’s gentle appeal for help, enabled the Club to raise a total of P870,000 with which to replenish our disaster relief fund—Carina Amparo, daughter of PP Felix, P10K; Ann Tessie Amparo, P10K; Arthur Antonino, P100K; PE Louie Aseoche, P10K; George Barcelon, P20K; Ann Jojo Borromeo, P10K; Edgardo Caparas, P100K coursed through Eddie Galvez; Vic Floresca, P10K; Ralph Galvez, son of Ai-Ai, P100K; PDG Sid Garcia, P200K; Dir. Eddie Galvez, P100K; Ric Gindap, P20K; Ann Yvonne Kuan, P5K; Mr. Higinio Macaraeg, P10K; IPP Bimbo Mills, P25K; PP Reggie Nolido, P10K; Andrew Prieto, P10K; PP Carlo Rufino, P10K; Taba Samson, P100K; Rodrigo Segura, P5K; PP Sonny Tambunting, P5K; and an anonymous donor, P50K. We also thank those who gave donations in kind-- PDG Pepz Bengzon, who provided a van; Ann Jean Chavez, a box of laundry soap; Andy Mañalac, a generator; PP Tito Panlilio, 5,600 bottles of purified water; and Taba Samson, 1,200 pairs of sandals.

We started the year on a b/right note. On the third day of the first month of the new year, we kicked off a new project to help stem hunger among families severely impacted by job losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Aptly named Feed the Hungry, the project is designed to provide “bridge feeding” to hungry families by delivering packed meals to them once a week. Bridge feeding means providing food to hungry families until such time as the breadwinners find gainful employment that will enable them to put food on the table on a regular basis. The project was launched on January 3rd with the inking of partnership agreements with an initial two parishes in Makati—San Ildefonso and Sts. Peter and Paul—with the parish priests as signatories: Fr. Antonio Molavin and Fr. Ric Fernando for San Ildefonso and Fr. Gerry Santos for Sts. Peter and Paul. The Club joined hands with parishioners in delivering 300 packed meals—150 to Bangkal near SLEX to homeless families who have made the streets home and 150 to Zobel St. behind the Makati City Hall, to families forced to live in damaged vehicles because they can no longer afford rent. Last Sunday, January 10th, the Club delivered a second batch of 300 meals prepared by the RC Makati Paul Harris Kitchen to mark the 2nd Sunday of this program for the two parishes. Pres. Peter and FA Pam personally participated in the distribution. The Club is committed to provide a total of 55,000 meals in partnership with other parishes. The Club is coordinating with other parishes to partner with and to serve. About 5,000 of those meals will be prepared by the Club at the Paul Harris Kitchen in Merville, Paranaque where Pres. Peter and family, together with their kid’s friends, prepare the meals.

With the temporary suspension of the supplementary feeding, the Club turned to milk feeding as a complement to the full feeding program in Calatagan, Batangas. Calatagan, it will be recalled, was one of the main sites of the Club’s long-running feeding program under Chair PP Freddie Borromeo.Under the new scheme, the Club supplies milk to kids enrolled in the feeding program jointly run by the Zobel Foundation, Calatagan DepEd and Kabisig ng Kalahi.The program benefits 90 undernourished children aged 3-6 years old, who are each given a glass of Anchor milk every day for 120 days or six months. The kids are grouped into three modules, at 30 kids per module. The feeding activity took place at the Florencio D. Firmante Elementary School inBrgy. Sambungan, Calatagan on December 17. Presiding over the activity were Pres. Peter Manzano, Mrs. Lorena Languitan, school principal, and Ms. Grace Ann Joy B. Lira, Program Officer of the Zobel Foundation.

Education as an area of focus has always been a top priority for RC Makati. Its passion for education has not dimmed with the drastic changes prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Under its Education Under a New Normal scheme, the Club is partnering with the Office of the Vice President for Community Learning Hubs, which is designed to assist learners who have no access to the educational materials, devices and internet connectivity required for distance learning. On December 4, the Club turned over to VP Leni Robredo computer units to be installed in 23 Community Learning Hubs across the country under the Club’s own banner project, RCM Learning Center. Doing the honors at the turnover were Pres. Peter Manzano, with IPP Bimbo Mills, Dir. Eddie Galvez, and First Ann Pam. With the instructional strategy shifting from the traditional in-person classroom teaching to distance education using internet-based technology, the Club has shown resilience by adapting to the demands of the situation. This project is funded by the reallocated budget for the girls’ dormitory project that has been temporarily suspended on account of the pandemic.

The Rotary Club of Makati and YesPinoy Foundation sealed another partnership on December 1, 2020, at the Rotary Club of Makati Head Office for the support of the Foundation’s education-to-livelihood program that seeks to provide employment to workers displaced by the Covid-19 pandemic. The signatories to the agreement were Pres Peter Manzano and YPF Chairman Jose Sixto Dantes III, while PE Louie Aseoche and Raniel Rusuello of Doorbell Technologies stood witness. As stipulated in the MOA, YesPinoy is responsible for the design, execution and management of the program, while RC Makati is charged with funding it to the tune of P420K. This is our second service tie-up with YPF. The first was the I am Super Project in RY 2018-19. The new project is a Riders’ Training Program for 150 adults who had lost their jobs due to the shut-down or slowdown of businesses owing to the pandemic. The program’s goal is to provide a decent and steady means of livelihood that will enable the participants to support their families. It also aims to develop professional, responsible and hardworking delivery service men who take pride and joy in their work. Among the beneficiaries—erstwhile employees in the film, TV, advertising and auxiliary industries—are a lighting director, assistant director, dance instructor, event performer, stunt man, set decorator, advert talent, TV and film production crew, and a utility man. The day also marked the kick-off of the 3-day comprehensive training program for the second batch of 15 riders, which was facilitated by the A-1 Driving School and a pool of technical experts. The module includes road safety, proper food handling, values formation, basic first aid, and financial management, among other life and skills enhancement topics. On December 4, they received certificates after successfully completing the three-day intensive training. Pres. Peter and Raniel Rusuello handed out the certificates. YP Foundation will continue running the training program until the 150 beneficiaries will have been covered. In consideration of the government health protocol on physical distancing, each class is limited to 15 trainees.