Rotary's Power for World Peace
February 21, 2008, Makati City
By Pres Cha-Cha Camacho, RC Makati San Lorenzo

Achieving world peace is a noble and great aspiration. Rotary’s fourth object is the advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace through a world of fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of friendship. But the state of peace especially in today’s troubled world seems so elusive to humanity. Amidst the conflicts and differences, the desire to achieve lasting peace is more powerful.

To celebrate the Rotary movement’s ideals of world solidarity, economic stability and peace, the concept of declaring Rotary Peace Communities and the conferment of the Rotary Peace Awards to persons or organizations that embody this ideal of peace was born.

The Rotary Peace Community was conceived in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia by Past President Tony Quinlivan in 1992. Wagga Wagga became the first Rotary Peace Community in the world.  It was Past President Geoffrey Little who introduced the program in the Philippines and throughout Asia in 1993. On June 22, 1994, the City of Manila became the very first Rotary Peace City in Asia.

The Rotary Club of Makati San Lorenzo (RCMSL) under the leadership of Past President Maridel Villavicencio established the Rotary Peace City of Makati on February 23, 1999. The Rotary Peace Monument was unveiled by the City Mayor, Dr. Elenita Binay, Past District Governor Sonny Coloma and Special Ambassador for Rotary Peace Cities Geoffrey Little, on the same day.

With the naming of Makati as the third Rotary Peace Community in the Philippines was the conferment of the Rotary Peace Award to ardent proponents of peace whose actions and advocacies promote peace and international understanding through selfless service to others. The first recipient of the award is President Corazon C. Aquino in 1999. The others are President Fidel V. Ramos (2000), Jaime Cardinal Sin (2001), General Angelo Reyes and Ricardo Cardinal Vidal (2002), Miss Gina Lopez of Bantay Kalikasan (2003), Fr. Reuter S.J.(2004), Miss Rosa Rosal of Philippine National Red Cross (2005), Fr. Rocky Evangelista of Tuloy sa Don Bosco (2006), Sr. Pilar Versoza of ProLife Foundation (2007) and Mr. Tony Meloto of Gawad Kalinga (2008).

This year, the Rotary Peace Award will be bestowed upon the feisty governor of Isabela, Gov. Grace Padaca, a recipient of Asia’s Nobel Peace Prize, The Ramon Magsaysay Awards in 2008. Gov. Padaca is a modern heroine, who has inspired many that, despite seemingly insurmountable odds, there is hope for our country and humanity to co-exist in peace and equality. Her peacemaking effort means the perfect balancing of wisdom and compassion for the poor and disadvantaged, and the perfect meeting of humanitarian needs and political realities.

Through the 11 years that came to pass, the Rotary Club of Makati San Lorenzo, headed by its incumbent president, Cha-Cha Camacho, continues to pursue Rotary’s mission to promote international understanding and peace through its many community based service projects in the Rotary Peace City of Antipolo City funded by a $338,000 Humanitarian Grant from The Rotary Foundation.

With the Rotary Peace Awards, the true spirit of selfless service acquires a new meaning. It has been a very rewarding experience for all Rotarians. As peace efforts grow stronger amongst us, so does the message of peace they bring to all nations of the world.