Ang Magiting - The Official Web Site of Rotary Club Makati North

It really feels great to be back among old friends!

By: PP Tony Chong

For a while it looked like I was in a time warp. The same faces that used to gawk at me in club meetings in years past are the same ones staring up at me in the Council of Presidents meeting such as Tony Ortigas (who was president when I was inducted into the Club), Peny Reloza, Dieter Brueckner, Boy Ampil, Ric dela Torre, Tony Pastelero and PE Joe Reano. And the concerns discussed were pretty much the same as well – money, money and money.

And it was comforting to note too that as the clock ticked on, other members started to trickle in promptly – first there was Robert Syjuco and Robert “Bob” Hecks (no relation to each other, I was assured) and then everybody else! Robert S. reported about the club’s experience at the recently concluded District Badminton Tournament and he of course was not proud of the fact that a woman crashed into the Men’s Division and ended up as Champion of the division. Whew! Actually, what really nagged our team, which also included Nato Sumalde, Klink Ang and RR Herrera, was the thought that if the reverse had happened – meaning our boys crashing in on the Women’s Division – we would we have won?

Talk about punctuality – the guest speaker arrived at exactly twelve o’clock and for a while seemed content as she scanned the room to see that her group’s conservation efforts seemed to have worked when she saw the likes of Pabling Calma and Bert Lingad strolling all over. Daniel Wiedmer couldn’t wait to be inducted and came early to Chito Frondoso’s, his sponsor, great relief. In fact, the room was almost full when Tony Newnham walked in and just couldn’t believe what he saw even as Vic Magdaraog and Joey Diokno assured him that he was in the right meeting.

The eagle once again has landed as Atenista Jimmy Roa took to the podium for his vocational talk but you could hear Chet Tan telling Ian Alas who didn’t seem at all interested that Jimmy really got his street-smarts savvy from his U.P. days.

Guest speaker Haribon Foundation’s Annabel Plantilla, herself a Rotarian, talked about bio-diversity and the eco-system in the Philippines even as she revealed the historical kinship between our common house mice and the Spanish Mafia. Of course this was after Tony Ortigas, erstwhile honcho of the Spanish Mafia, has left the meeting.

And by the way, did you know that 76% of those who attended our meeting last Wednesday were already members of RCMN in 1999 when I took a leave? Talk about commitment. It really feels great to be back among old friends!