RCCDO SEPTEMBER 14 BULLETIN

The Official Publication of the Rotary Club of Cagayan de Oro
Vol. 1 No. 10
What’s Inside:
• CLIMATE CHANGE:
Should Rotary be
Concerned?
• RI Basic Education and
Literacy In A Digital World
• Ann’s Corner
• Photos
Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)

OUR PAST PRESIDENTS
1947-1948 Isidro Vamenta
1948-1949 Isidro Vamenta
1949-1950 Hernando Pineda
1950-1951 Hernando Pineda
1951-1952 Glicerio Floirendo
1952-1953 Hernando Pineda
1953-1954 Johnny Paraiso
1954-1955 Ernesto Tamparong
1955-1956 Nemesio Chaves
1956-1957 Rizal Ortega
1957-1958 Emilio Dayrit
1958-1959 Wadhu Dharamdas
1959-1960 Jesus Larrabaster
1960-1961 Henry Canoy / Climaco Mosqueda
1961-1962 Jesus Larrabaster
1962-1963 Delfin Rabe
1963-1964 Pablo Reyes
1964-1965 Jose Palacio
1965-1966 Briccio Tamparong
1966-1967 Plutarico Velez
1967-1968 Francisco Velez
1968-1969 Dante Sarraga
1969-1970 Miguel Siojo
1970-1971 Rene Fruto
1971-1972 Roberto Nery
1972-1973 Angel Quimpo
1973-1974 Perfecto Casino
1974-1975 Mario Nery / Nestor Fernandez
1975-1976 Casimiro Tamparong
1976-1977 Phil Balan
1977-1978 Benjamin Gorospe
1978-1979 Antonio Valoria / Nazar Chavez
1979-1980 Manuel Samson
1980-1981 Nazar Chaves
1981-1982 Corazon Cid
1982-1983 Jesus Dingcong
1983-1984 Miguel Goking
1984-1985 Marciano Barrera
1985-1986 Salvador Caragos
1986-1987 Pablo Paras
1987-1988 Leo Mabulay
1988-1989 Manuel Aberilla
1989-1990 Stephen Gaisano
1990-1991 Primitivo Bella
1991-1992 Cesilo Adaza
1992-1993 Wenifredo Yancha
1993-1994 Manuel Arceno/Constantino Jaraula
1994-1995 Francisco Sarraga
1995-1996 Constantino Jaraula
1996-1997 Gabriel Evangelista
1997-1998 Jose Gonzaga
1998-1999 Carlos Gorospe
1999-2000 William Walter
2000-2001 Vic Cinco
2001-2002 Raymund Talimo
2002-2003 Carlo Romero
2003-2004 Antonio Soriano
2004-2005 Samson Blanco
2005-2006 Manuel Alinabon
2006-2007 John Mark Sarraga
2007-2008 Edgardo Melchor Palad
2008-2009 Ricardo Gabaon
2009-2010 Manuel Along
2010-2011 Dietmar Schug
2011-2012 Ian Mark Nacaya
2012-2013 Marillo Paano
2013-2014 Ferdinand Bernasor
2014-2015 Luigi Sarraga
2015-2016 Cris Parojinog
2016-2017 Dufel Lagrosas
2

CALL TO ORDER
INVOCATION
PAMBANSANG AWIT
FELLOWSHIP
ROTARY INFORMATION
PROGRAM
PRES. TONYBOY FERNANDEZ
PP SAMMY BLANCO
PP FERDIE BERNASOR
PP PAUL FERRER
PP IAN MARK NACAYA
“Our City Council Today”
SECRETARY’S REPORT
PRESIDENT’S TIME
ADJOURNMENT
PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Editorial Staff
PS MIKE MENDOZA
Editor-In-Chief
Contributors & Members
Pres. Tonyboy Fernandez
PAG John Mark Sarraga
Sec. Neil Que
Dir Leony Quicoy
PD Nasali Cornelio Silava
Ann Angelie Mae Dael
RTN. Maite Sarraga (RC Premier)
Email Us: rccdophotos@yahoo.com
SEC. NEIL QUE
PRES. TONYBOY FERNANDEZ
PRES. TONYBOY FERNANDEZ
RTN JOEL BERNALDEZ
Father in Heaven,
Thank you for watching over me as I
slept through the night. Your hands of
comfort and strength held me as You
watched over me.
Father, I love You. You love me so
much and I am in awe of how amazing
You truly are. As I begin my day, I
simply pray that you walk with me and
lead me where you please. May Your
will be done this day. Amen.
WEEKLY BIRTHDAYS
(September 08—14, 2017)
11—Ann PP Ching Sarraga
SEPTEMBER 2017
ANNIVERSARIES
01— PP Paul & ANN Ching Ferrer
05—PP Dufel & ANN PP Doris Lagrosas
3

Upcoming Event?
Let Us Cater For You.
Visit Us at: 68 Faustino Neri Street, RER Subdivision Phase 1 ,
Kauswagan , Cagayan de Oro City
Or Call Us: +63 88 880-1808 or +63 917-625-3410
Email: anaskitchen06@gmail.com
4

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
President Antonio V. Fernandez, 2017-18
O
nce again , I would like to thank
you for your support to the Club.
I would like to congratulate newly
Inducted Rotarian
Ben Booc and
Rotarian Ronnie
Apdian for coming
back. For everybody’s
information,
Rtn. Ronnie was
the Most Outstanding
Rotarian when
he served as Director
during the time
of PAG John Mark
Sarraga. Surely ,
both will be an asset
to club.
This week , we will
be turning over the
Puerto National
High School Renovated classroom. Our
chairman , PD Tito Mora has informed
me that this will be on Wednesday at
8:00 in the morning. So as you read this
bulletin, this project will already be
done. We will also be implementing , “
Gift of Sight to Children “ . This endeavor
is in close coordination with the
Cagayan de Oro Eyesight Board. The
project entails to give eyeglasses to 30
school children . Thank you to the Rotarians
who willingly donated the glasses
to these children. This will be implemented
at the end of this month. We
are just awaiting the schedule to be
made by PAG Carlo Romero. Definitely ,
our New Generation Forum will be on
September 22, 2017 and the City Youth
Officials on September 25-29 , 2017
I also want to thank PP Deitmar Schug
for his donation to The Rotary Foundation.
His donation has added to the total
contribution of the club of $9,500.00 for
the past 21/2 months. I hope you can
also do your part in helping out whether
it be in Annual giving or in Polio Plus.
Finally , please calendar the Governor’s
Visit to the Club on Wednesday , October
4, 2017 and the Governor’s Address
on October 6, 2017. Your presence will
be highly appreciated. Thank you.
5

SECRETARY’S COLUMN
Secretary Neil Ronard J. Que
W
e had another successful and
productive meeting last Thursday!
Despite the absence of
some officers and Rotarians due to out of
town trips, the club welcomed PNP Region
X PIO Supt. Lemuel Gonda as guest
speaker once again.
Let us congratulate the sponsors and the
club as a whole for two more inductees in
the said meeting. We'd like to welcome
Ben Booc and PD Ronnie Apdian to the
community, and congratulate them as well
for their induction!
Our meeting have indeed grown in number
and have been livelier because of the
support of all members. Should you have
any suggestions for guest speaker to
make our future meetings just as informative
and dynamic, kindly approach any of
the officers or post them in our social
group chats.
A reminder again to everyone to please
make sure your annual dues are settled.
Fifty percent of
total amount due
is already sufficient
at this time.
6

7
WEEKLY MEETING PHOTOS

CLIMATE CHANGE:
Should Rotary Be Concerned?
Source: Rotary.org; Ecowatch.org;
reneekarunungan.com
RI
President Ian Riseley, 2017-18
has made the case that curbing
climate change is essential to Rotary’s
goal of global service. Riseley recently
said, “Environmental degradation and
global climate change are serious threats
to everyone. They are having a disproportionate
impact on those who are the
most vulnerable, those to whom Rotary
has the greatest responsibility.”
The rainy season has come once again
and for many communities in the Philippines,
this means getting ready for
strong typhoons.
This also means evacuation, damaged
crops, and floods. June to September
has always been the months where
typhoons visit the country most but
with changing weather patterns, typhoon
season has extended to November
and December. Typhoon
Yolanda (Haiyan) happened in November
2013, Typhoon Ruby
(Hagupit) in December.
year? Or will we just continue with the
phrase, “The Filipino spirit is waterproof”
for every disaster that will hit us?
Haiyan, Thelma, Ike, Fengshen, Washi,
Durian, Bopha, Trix, Amy, Nina. These
are the 10 deadliest typhoons of the
Philippines between 1947 and 2014.
What’s alarming is that five of the 10
have occurred since 2006, affecting and
displacing thousands of citizens every
time. Seven of these 10 deadly storms
each resulted in more than 1,000 casualties.
But the deadliest storm on record
in the Philippines is Typhoon Haiyan,
known locally as Typhoon Yolanda,
which was responsible for more than
6,300 lost lives, more than four million
displaced citizens and $2 billion in damages
in 2013.
The question is, after all the typhoons
we’ve gone through, after all
the lives we have lost, have we
learned our lesson? Are we ready to
face the onslaught of the next 20
typhoons that will come our way this
8

The Philippines has long been particularly
vulnerable to extreme weather. But
in recent years our nation has suffered
from even more violent storms like Typhoon
Haiyan. On average, about 20
tropical cyclones enter Philippine waters
each year, with eight or nine making
landfall. And over the past decade,
these tropical storms have struck our
nation more often and more severely,
scientists believe, because of climate
change. In addition, two factors unique
to the Philippines—its geography and
development—have combined to worsen
both this threat and its devastating
consequences.
The Global Climate Risk Index 2015
listed our country as the number one
most affected country by climate
change. This is thanks, in part, to its
geography. The Philippines is located in
the western Pacific Ocean, surrounded
by naturally warm waters that will likely
get even warmer as average seasurface
temperatures continue to rise.
9
As the ocean’s surface temperature increases
over time from the effects of
climate change, more and more heat is
released into the atmosphere. This additional
heat in the ocean and air can lead
to stronger and more frequent storms—
which is exactly what we’ve seen over
the last decade.
The Philippines also lacks natural barriers;
as a collection of more than 7,000
islands there is almost nothing standing
between us and the sea. In addition to
the coral reefs, one of the best buffers
against typhoons are the Philippine mangrove
ecosystems. These mangroves
help lessen the impact of storm surge
and stabilize soil but have disappeared
by almost due to deforestation.
This is not an easy problem to fix, but
we need to try. The first step is environmental
and climate literacy, with education
as the key. There is still a wide
room for educating the public on what
can be done to balance our daily needs.
Continued, CLIMATE p.15

PHOTO
10

PHOTO
11

By ANN President Angelie Mae Dael
T
he Rotary Anns had our third
GMM last September 7, 2017 at
the Sinamay Room of Seda Hotel.
The September celebrants went to great
lengths to make it an unforgettable
meeting.
Everyone gamely came in the motif of
denims with patches or embellished.
Each had a chance to win cute deniminspired
raffle items. The entertainment
had the Anns dancing to Despacito.
Ann Girlie Mora, PP Yolly Malferrari,
PP Biema Along, Ann Aida Gonzaga
and won a prize each for being Most
Graceful.
On another note, we are enjoining all
Anns to support our Rotarians for the
New Generation Forum on September
20, City Youth Officials on September 25
-30, and the upcoming Gift of Sight Project.
Our visit to the City's elderly members
will be moved to October. Also, we
encourage Anns to join their Rotarians
for the Governor's Address on October
7 at Mallberry Hotel.
We also had a group contest to determine
the most tech-savvy. Group 2
surprised everyone by besting the 3
others. They proved that age is not a
limit to being updated with gadgets
and apps.
The meeting was extra special as we
had 4 first-timers with us: Girlie Mora,
Juliet Empedrad, Allyn Booc, and Tina
Casiño.
It was indeed a September to Remember
and we thank PP Ching Sarraga,
Ann Amy Ceniza and Ann Chona Sarraga
for making it a superbly memorable
GMM.
12

13

L
ast Friday, we join the global community
in celebrating International
Literacy Day, September 08: a day
uniting governments, civil society organizations,
communities, teachers and key
stakeholders to highlight our achievements
in basic education and literacy
while looking ahead on ways to address
remaining challenges.
This year’s theme, Literacy in a Digital
World, focuses on the challenges and
opportunities of promoting literacy in our
increasingly digital world. Digital technologies
continue to drastically changing the
way people live, work, learn and communicate.
Innovative new technologies
provide opportunities for people to easily
access information and knowledge, make
connections around the world, broaden
their reach and change the world in unforeseen
ways.
RI: Basic Education and Literacy in a
Digital World
By Azka Asif, Rotary Service and Engagement staff
Rapid advancements have also resulted
in a global ‘digital divide’: disparities in
access to digital technologies. Today
nearly four billion people around the
world do not have access to the internet,
nearly two billion people do not use
a mobile phone, and almost half a billion
live outside of areas with a mobile signal.
Those who do not have access to
these technologies, or the knowledge
and skills required to navigate them,
end up being left behind.
According to UNESCO, nearly 750 million
adults and 264 million out-of-school
children still lack basic literacy skills
making the divide even larger. Rotary
members are addressing these challenges
by closing the literacy skill gaps and
Continued, LITERACY p.15
14

CLIMATE from p. 09
Greater understanding is needed on the
benefits of sustainable resources. Climate
and environmental literacy must be
translated into action and become a way
of life.
What is the difference between
a hurricane, a cyclone,
and a typhoon?
H
urricanes, cyclones, and typhoons
are all the same weather
phenomenon; we just use
different names for these storms in different
places. In the Atlantic and Northeast
Pacific, the term “hurricane” is
used. The same type of disturbance in
the Northwest Pacific is called a
“typhoon” and “cyclones” occur in the
South Pacific and Indian Ocean.
The ingredients for these storms include
a pre-existing weather disturbance,
warm tropical oceans, moisture, and
relatively light winds. If the right conditions
persist long enough, they can combine
to produce the violent winds, incredible
waves, torrential rains, and
floods we associate with this phenomenon.
In the Atlantic, hurricane season officially
runs June 1 to November 30. However,
while 97 percent of tropical activity
occurs during this time period, there is
nothing magical in these dates, and hurricanes
have occurred outside of these
six months.
LITERACY from p. 15
reducing inequalities:
The Rotaract Club of Ulhasnagar Sapna
Garden in India hosted a digital literacy
driveto train on the latest technologies.
Rotaractors taught participants the basics
of getting online using a computer
and a mobile phone. Participants were
taught how to run basic internet searches,
navigate maps, stream videos, and
create and manage online payment accounts.
The Rotary Club of Eau Gallie in the
United States provided a mobile computer
lab for digital literacy training. The
computer lab traveled through the country
providing a course for underprivileged
students. Students completing the
course received a laptop to help them
complete high school, prepare for college,
research vocations and seek employment.
The Rotary Club Chiavari Tigullio in Italy
aimed to bridge the generation gap and
promote literacy among senior citizens
by conducting trainings on using digital
devices. With the support of professional
teachers, 30 young students were paired
with 30 seniors to teach them how to
use devices including computers, tablets,
and mobile phones.
To help bridge the digital divide in their
community, the Rotary Club of Port-
Harcourt Gateway in Nigeria conducted
an 8-week computer literacy training
program for eight underserved children.
The students, between the ages of 6
and10, had no access to computer literacy.
The club hopes to make this an annual
event benefiting even more students
in the future.
15

16

By: Kevin Lui, TIME.com (Sept. 2017)
V
irtually all the world's tap water
is contaminated by microscopic
plastic fibers, a new study
claims, raising fresh concerns about the
implications of rampant plastic pollution
on human and planetary health.
Some 83% of tap water samples collected
from over a dozen countries on
five continents tested positive for microplastic,
according
to a study commissioned
by data journalism
outlet Orb.
The specific rate of
prevalence in different
locales varied,
but all tested locations
— from Europe
to Jakarta and Beirut
— saw plastic found
in over 70% of tap
water samples.
In the U.S., researchers
found that
94% of all water samples — including
tap water from places like Trump Tower
and the Environmental Protection Agency's
headquarters — were contaminated
by plastic.
These microscopic fragments enter the
water system in multiple ways, from
synthetic fiber clothing to tire dust and
microbeads, as well as the fragmenting
of larger pieces of plastic, which for the
most part is non-biodegradable.
With about 300 million tons of plastic
produced annually, the worsening contamination
problem it brings to oceans
and rivers has attracted increasing concern.
Attention has previously focused on
plastic pollution's effect on marine life,
seabirds and the human food chain, but
effects of microplastic's presence in the
human body remain to be studied.
Helpful Link: https://orbmedia.org/
stories/Invisibles_plastics/multimedia
17

MINORITY MEMBERSHIP AND
TOLERANCE OF DIFFERENCES
R
otary formally considered the
issue of racial restriction in membership
and determined that the
organization could not allow racial restrictions
to the organization’s growth. In
Rotary’s legislative deliberations in June
1921, it was formally determined that
racial restrictions would not be permitted.
Non-racialism was included in the
terms of the standard constitution in
1922, required to be adopted by all
member Clubs.
Rotary and other service
clubs in the last
decade became open
to homosexual membership.
Other minorities,
in the face of
general changes in
demographics are also
encouraged to join.
said, “If by interposition of Providence I
someday were to find myself standing on
a platform in some great Coliseum looking
into the eyes of every living Rotarian,
and were to be told that I could have
one word to say, without an instant’s
hesitation and at the top of my voice, I
would shout ‘Toleration!’”
Our founder Paul Harris has repeatedly
iterated: “Rotarians respect each other‘s
opinions and are tolerant and friendly at
all times. Catholics, Protestants, Moslems,
Jews, and Buddhists break bread
together in Rotary.” And it is this tolerant
attitude that prompted the Rotary International
to adopt the following statement
in 1933: “Rotarians in all countries
should recognize these facts
(differences), and there should be a
thoughtful avoidance of criticism of the
laws and customs of one country by the
Rotarians of another country.” Tolerance
is a key to understanding among different
peoples and nations.
Tolerance is one of
the most important
virtues in the Rotary
spirit. As early as 1911
our founder Paul Harris
in his essay
“Rational Rotarianism”
18

19

20