It was in Dec 7, 1977, that the Rotary Club of Dumaguete South got its charter approved by Rotary International. The late Rtn. Martin “Ting” Matiao and PP Andres “Andy” Ricardo of the Rotary Club of Dumaguete (Dumaguete City’s Mother Rotary Club) recruited leaders from the community who would comprise the original charter members of the nascent club. At the start, there were 27 pioneeting members to today’s, this Rotary Year’s 61 members.
Depending on where one is in the world, December is often filled with dreadful memories of people born a decade or so earlier of this generation. It was on this day in 1941 that, the Japanese Imperial Airfoce bombed, Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii. It is remembered in modern history as the”day of infamy”.
Many of the families of the original members participated in the war, recruited by the occupying Japanese for construction work, some participated in the resistance and many died as a consequence of this war in the Pacific. The Filipinos, being allied to the United States of America naturally were affected by this war.
But, in the post war years, people in the Philippines, particularly of Dumaguete City in the central Visayan island of Negros, in the province of Negros Oriental, December 7 is remembered as the birth of second Rotary Club to be inaugurated in the community.
These two men Rtn. Martin “Ting” Matiao and PP Andres “Andy” Ricardo originally from the RC of Dumaguete, hundred percent attendees, organized a new club.
Naturally, the ideal of service drove these two Rotarians to recruit the member which would constitute the charter list for this new club.
From the ranks of the dynamic and cohesive Uymatiao clan, PP Willes Matiao was elected as charter president. He served the first two Rotary years of the new club and is an active member up to today.
After getting it charter from Rotary International, RC Dumaguete south was officially presented to the Dumaguete City community on February 12, 1978 by PDG George Royeca and PGGR Quintin “King” Doromal.
Six months into its infancy, the new Club hosted the 4th District Assembly in Dumaguete City held at the Silliman University’s Luce auditorium in May 1978.
Among the major intiatives in community service, in 1983, the young club helped to construct part of the Talay Drug Rehabilitation Center, now called the Negros Oriental Psychiatrict Extenstion Clinic.
In the same year the club also helped build a police station for the Philippine Integrated National Police (PNP) at the junction of the Bacong-Valencia intersection of the city.
The club was honored with the distinction as the Most Improved Per Capita contributor to the Rotary Foundation in the District Convention of 1985.
After this time, RCDS had 57 active members, excluding four honorary members, of which 45% were 100 percent attendees, a record in the entire District 3850.
Activities in the first 18 years of existence focused on Functional Literacy Programs in Valencia municipality in line with RI’s thrust “Hope for Reading.” More than 80 youths and elderly from the Valencia community were taught to read. The program was coordinated the the Silliman University College of Education and RCDS’s Ting Matiao Foundation.
RCDS implemented RI’s 3H (Health, Hunger and Humanity) in Dumaguete City’s poor neighborhoods of Brgys, Batinguel, Banilad and Taclobo. With the help of Philippine National Red Cross, the Silliman U Medical Technology Society, the Silliman U Medical Van Houweling Laboratoy, the College of Nursing and medical doctors from the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital free health clinics were conducted in the areas mentioned offering blood-typing, hemoglobin-count, stool and urine examination, dental services. water potability determination, anti-rabies vaccine administration and animal parasitology.
Such other community services as lectures and information on health education and dental hygiene, pregnancy, maternal and child care, environmental sanitation, certain immunizations, home-management of common illnesses and economics and livelihood and practical agriculture, were RCDS thrusts.
RCDS had organized and registered with RI, Rotary Village Corps in the municipalities of Valencia, Bayawan and Sta. Catalina for famer livelihood seminars. In Brgy. Taclobo, Dumaguete City, RCDS was able to secure a soft loan microlending facility for corps members from the Department of Labor and Employment. The RCVs were taught to raise funds from sales of plant seedlings and raffle tickets to develop a farm area for their community. The RCVs of Bayawan and Sta. Catalina were awarded separate financial grants from the Land Bank of the Philippines Educational Foundation for their projects in cooperative development.
Polio Plus of RI’s program of eradicating polio worldwide was a club activity with the help of the Dumaguete City Health Office.
In 1976, RCDS had produced 8 Paul Harris Fellows in a single year and raised their numbers to 14, with five sustaining fellows.
The following District Convention year of March 1986, the RC of Dumaguete South was considered the Most Outstanding Club of District 3860.
Again it hosted, in cooperation with the RC of Dumaguete, the 8th Rotary District Assembly in the Silliman University main library. PP Junny Dumalag Jr. earned special distinction award as the Chairman of PETS/Distas for RY1988-89.
Leaders of the Rotary Club of Dumaguete South were awarded in the 1991 Discon for their service and decication, with the Most Outstading Club Presidents Award. They were PADG Youman “Boy” Uymatiao, PP Patrick “Bebot” Chua, PP Antonio “Tony” Paalan, PP Zachy Beltran, PP Boy Diputado, PP Raul Dumalag and PP Danny Olegario.
In that convention PP Alex “Jun” Amor was recognized as the an Exemplary District Officer after serving the incumbent district governor as Governor’s District Representative.
Awards and Recognition
Rotary Club of Dumageute South (RCDS) had been recornized by Rotary International and District 3850 with wards being:
Rotary International Recognition
1. An active supporter in various rural and urban community projects
2. A regular contributor to the Rotary Foundation
The club founded of two (2) foundations, namely:
1. Rtn. Martin “Ting” Matiao Foundation, Inc. (TMF)
2. Rtn. Rajan Dulamal – Rotary Operation Share a Smile Foundation, Inc (ROSAS)
District 3860 Recognition
Other significant awards received by the Club were:
1. Most Outstanding Community Project – SCORE in Dist. 3860, RY 2002-2003
2. 2nd Outstanding Club Bulletin in Dist. 3860, RY 2004-2005
3. Annual Awards for Most Outstanding Club, Most Outstanding Club President, Most Outstanding Club Secretary and Most Outstanding Club Bulletin in Zone 3-D since RY-2000-2001 to RY-2007-2008
4. The Rtn. Martin “Ting” Matiao Foundation, Inc. (TMF) as an NGO and Implementing Arm of RCDS for which the foundation was awarded the 2006 Timbayayong Award with a cash grant of P200,000.00 and a trophy.
Matching Grants (MG)
The Matching Grant Funds were used for the following projects:
1. For potable water with water tank built at Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH)
2. For School furniture, Text and Reference Books distributed to Candau-ay, Balugo, Cadawinonan, Babajuba and Herminigilda Elementary Schools
3. For Rescue Operation for Mathematics Education (ROME) in 18 Dumaguete City Public Elementary Schools
4. For Educational Assistance to the Little Children of the Philippines (LCP) located at Claytown, Daro, Dumaguete City
5. For the purchase of Prosthesis, surgical and medical expenses of heart, anus and foot ailments/deformities; Vermi-compost projects in Dumaguete City Habitat for Humanity, Inc. and
6. Beneficiaries and computer units for Amado Dagodag, South City and Balugo Elementary Schools and Little Children of the Philippines.
7. MG xxxxx , with RC of Honolulu RD in RY 2008-09, a grant awarding the club a Mobile Health Clinic for the use by Consuelo Foundation in their community of sheltered youth in Dumaguete City and managed by Friendly Care Foundation.
8. MG70730, with RC of Park Cities Dallas, RC5810 in RY2009-10 for the provision of computer education through a computer lab in North City elementary school, Brgy. Piapi, Dumaguete City.
The World Community Service (WCS)
A grant was received for projects used in the Feeding Program in Dumaguete City, Vitamin “A” Supplementation, and Playground and Livelihood Projects in Calindagan, Dumaguete City.
