Drive your own Cars, Rotaractors- PP Ramon Dacayo: Pilipinas Rotaract Convention 2016

            “It’s time for your voice to be heard. Be an accomplice no more in your Rotarians’ Service. Drive your own cars”.

            PP Ramon Dacayo, a Rotary Coordinator from the Rotary International, coached and empowered the Rotaractors all over the Philippines to play fair in the bestowed games of Rotary’s Advocacies and Awareness during the 2016 Pilipinas Rotaract Convention at L’ Fisher Hotel, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

            According to this equally vibrant advocate, rotaractors who are empowered have the knowledge and ability to lead. It was not always that rotaractors received input like this considering that everyone are too damn busy for many important things which was why it was overwhelming to get to hear someone from the same frequency and degree of enthusiasm in service in a plenary session.

Service

            PP Dacayo in letting the crowd of rotaractors discover the meaning of ‘priceless gift: True Service”, introduced the concept of service marketing- an endeavour of promotion in economic activities.

            After World War, a revitalizing history of the Philippines, there were only Three (3) working economic sectors- the manufacture, agriculture and service. During that time Manufacturing Companies boomed and, in fact, comprises somewhat the total GDP of the country; And there is a need to feed the people which made Agriculture never gone out of the picture; lastly, the service, which made the balance.

            Surprisingly, the Service Sector ranked 1^st and rated 57% in 2013 report as there was the rise of call center agencies, BPO and other customer services all over the market.

            It was also quite funny and mind blowing when he joked with a picture projected on the screen which shows one customer with a bank teller having a pen leashed at the front desk. People trusted banks for safekeeping their hard-earned money, but these banks can hardly trust you out with the use of their pens.

            The kind of service presented above carries a price tag just like anything else. But in rotary, it does not require anything in return.

            So, what then is Rotary Service to a Rotaractor? He answered by presenting the 1^st public service of Rotary which was rooted in vocational service, a toilet, by the Rotary Club of Chicago, which was originally institutionalized not for service but to fellowship. Every rotaract club is encouraged to have its substantial projects and Rotarians do not want to undermine that. Then, PP Dacayo, enumerated services that Rotaractors may indulge in, Rehabilitation and Painting, Proper Hand Washing, Mentoring, Football, Bowling and Golfing Management, and the list goes on.

Priceless Gift: True Service

            Being priceless is having a value beyond all price; invaluable. For entrepreneurs, a customer’s need is always an opportunity to earn but for rotaractors, a community’s need is always an opportunity to serve and help.

            The meaning of True Service, as he revealed before he ended his speech, is when you give something to a person whom you do not know and yet you give.

ProCon 2016

            This 5^th National Convention of Rotaractors was very blessed to have PP Ramon Dacayo who gave meaning and challenge to the Rotaractors. Everyone is a gift to the world. What will make rotaractors precious gifts is when it give its time and attention. The world needs more time and attention. The world needs more Rotaractors.

Archbishop Ledesma inspires Region X Youth Hours 2016

Photo Credits to Judge Jerlie Luis-Requerme

1963 National Awardee of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines, Archbishop Antonio J Ledesma, SJDD, opens and unfastens the intimidated potency of student leaders in its role of practicing intercultural dialogue in Mindanao during the Region X Youth Hours 2016 on February 6 held at Performing Arts Theater, Mindanao University of Science and Technology.

The Archbishop emboldens the selected youth to deepen its sense of leadership by giving reverence to the different cultural expressions to the Tri-people of Mindanao. He also made mention about how joining religious services of your fellows is a form of appreciation and respect to their religion and its doctrines; that it is what we need now.

Moreover, he raised how the issue of BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law) advanced a lot of expectation of those involved and eventually became a source of disappointment when it was not favoured by the Philippine congress.

Everybody in the hall was inspired to make peace happens starting from the grass roots. As leaders of the community, one should learn to be sensitive and become peace builders. It is because of ignorance, prejudice and jealous that there is conflict. He ended his speech saying “If we learn to understand the deep context of where we are, then we can have the elusive peace in Mindanao”.

 

msu-iit student leaders