Rotary Honors Gov. Padaca with Peace Award
March 10, 2008, Makati City
By Pres Cha-Cha Camacho, RC Makati San Lorenzo

This year, in celebration of  Rotary International's 104th anniversary on February 23, 2009, the coveted Rotary Peace Award was given to the feisty governor of Isabela, Maria Gracia Cielo M. Padaca.  The  presentation ceremony was held at the Makati Park & Garden and witnessed by various government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, former Makati City Mayor Dr. Elenita Binay, District 3830 Governor Boyet Limon, PDG Sonny Coloma, PDG Jun Tambunting and other distinguished Rotarians.

Born in 1963 and crippled early in childhood by polio, Gov. Padaca is a modern heroine who continue to inspire many.  Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds, she persistently showed that there is hope for our country and for humanity to co-exist in peace and equality.  Her peacemaking efforts embody the perfect balancing of wisdom and compassion for the poor and disadvantaged and the perfect meeting of humanitarian needs and political realities.

Gov. Padaca is also a 2008 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Government Service, recognized for "empowering voters in the Philippines' Isabela province to reclaim their democratic right to elect leaders of their own choosing, and to contribute as full partners in their own development."

About the Rotary Peace Award

Achieving world peace is an enormous aspiration, yet a noble one.  And that's exactly what Rotary’s fourth object is all about: the advancement of international understanding and goodwill through fellowship among business and professional people, all united in the ideals of friendship, world solidarity, economic stability and peace.

The Rotary Peace Communities and the conferment of the Rotary Peace Awards to individuals or organizations was conceived in 1992 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia by Past President Tony Quinlivan. Wagga Wagga became the first Rotary Peace Community in the world.  In 1993, Past President Geoffrey Little introduced the program in the Philippines and throughout Asia.  On June 22, 1994, Manila became the first Rotary Peace City in Asia. Through the efforts of Past President Maridel Villavicencio of the Rotary Club of Makati San Lorenzo, Makati was declared the Third Rotary Peace City by the City Council under the administration of Mayor Elenita S. Binay in 1999.

For the past 11 years, the Rotary Club of Makati San Lorenzo, headed by 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, which is funded by a $338,000 Humanitarian Grant from The Rotary Foundation.

With the Rotary Peace Awards, the true spirit of selfless service takes on a new meaning by being 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.

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