Official Website of IPDG Rhia Abalos

• History of the District
• Philippine Rotary Tree
• District 3870 Map

REPORTAGE: ROTARY IN THE PHILIPPINES

(from the first Rotary club in Manila to the creation of District 3870)

As the first Rotary Club in all Asia, the Rotary Club of Manila spawned the districts, and at the turn of the new millennium, the Philippines had 678 clubs and almost 20,000 Rotarians and growing. In RY 1984-1985, Rotary touched the heart of North and Central Mindanao with the creation of District 3870, a district that is truly Mindanao.

It was in 1919, fourteen years after the first Rotary Club in Chicago was organized by Paul Harris and his group, that the Philippines entered the world of Rotary with the organization of the Rotary Club of Manila. Impressed and inspired by the ideals of Rotary, a leading Manila businesswoman, the president of Lambert Sales Corp. communicated with the RI president John Poole, who sent a representative to assist in coming out with a Rotary Club in Far East. Together with the four other prominent businessmen who composed the committee to organize a Rotary Club, the organization of the club was completed with 38 charter members. On June 1, 1919, the Rotary Club of Manila, the first Rotary Club in the Philippines and Asia was granted Charter No. 478.

Rotary spread quickly and before the outbreak of World War II, there were eight Rotary clubs in the Philippines, namely Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Baguio, Davao, Dagupan and Dumaguete. The war caused these clubs to be disbanded.

After the war however, several clubs were re-established and RI District 81 was created to include eleven clubs in mainland China, the Hongkong clubs and three clubs in the Philippines. As more clubs were established in the country, District 96 was created as the lone Rotary district for the Commonwealth of the Philippines. In RY 1940-1941, District 96 was renamed District 348. In RY 1957-1958 District 348 was changed to District 385. This became the Mother of all the ten Rotary Districts organized in the Philippines.

The following are the ten Rotary Districts in the Philippines:

As faraway as the Philippines is from Chicago, and as small a country the Philippines may be, Rotary in the Philippines has had significant contributions in terms of leadership and personages:

·     Former UN President Carlos P. Romulo was the first Filipino to serve on RI Board of Directors as 3^rd Vice President in RY 1935-1936.

·     Former Senate President Gil J. Puyat was appointed to the RI Board of Directors as 1^st Vice President in RY 1957-1958.

·     M.A.T. Caparas served as RI President in RY 1986-1987.

·     Sabino “Benny” Santos served as RI Director during RY 1996-1998.

·     Rafael “Paeng” Hechanova was RI Director in RY 1996-1998.

·     Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante was RI Director/Treasurer in RY 2004

It was not long before Rotary inevitably came to Mindanao. The entry of Rotary in Southern Philippines was signaled by the organization of the Rotary Club of Davao in RY 1938-1939. On April 22, 1948, Rotary reached Northern Mindanao with the charter of the Rotary Club of Cagayan de Oro, the oldest club in the district.

With the carving off and creation of new districts, District 3870 is the only district that is composed of provinces from Northern Mindanao. Created by the action of the Board of Directors of Rotary International in RY 1983-1984, it started as a separate administrative district but was taken out of District 3850 which comprised Panay Island, Negros Occidental and parts of Marawi, Cotabato, Kidapawan and the provinces of Camiguin Island, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat.

 While several clubs were organized through the years, a few have fallen and District 3870 remains the smallest district in the country. But in the heart of every Rotarian in the district remain fierce commitment and fiery conviction to sweep away the power of the darkness of poverty, want and ignorance by serving local and global communities above personal needs. It may be the smallest, but it is closest to the hearts of and home to almost a thousand dedicated Rotarians.

Since its creation in RY 1984-1985, RI District 3870 has had the following District Governors:

Before District 3870 became a separate district, District Governors who prominently served the area were: