history

Remember the longest journey must have a beginning � and that where you may be tomorrow depends wholly and solely on the road you are taking today.

�Magiddo Message

The idea of the journey was conceived during Rotary Year 1967-1968 when a group of nine fine gentlemen from Los Ba�os who were then members of the Rotary Club of Calamba thought of organizing a counterpart club of their own. The idea was inspired by two valid reasons: first, Los Ba�os as an international community was a bounty of good material fitted to the membership criteria of the Rotary Club, and second, a club with prominence can be the best medium to serve the community better especially on projects that may need foreign assistance.

On 23 September 1970, then DG Sabino �Benny� Santos on his official visit to the Rotary Club of Calamba during its regular meeting held in Los Ba�os, proposed to its prexy Conrado �Condring� Sta. Romana that the notion toyed with some years ago during the time of PP Francisco �Kiko� Santos be put into reality. This proposal gave way to his predecessor DG Benjamin Campomanes to appoint Condring Sta. Romana as his special representative to organize the club. The following year, PDG Ramon "Mon" Hechanova, who was then chairman of the district extension, laid out its procedures for its organization during a special meeting called for its purpose.

Almost a year after, on 18 September 1971, the Rotary Club of Los Ba�os was formally organized with 30 charter members?23 were new members including a foreign national, and 7 were old members from the mother club, 4 of whom were already senior active. Silverio �Berong� Cenda�a was elected charter president.

The first meeting of the club, on provisional status, was held on October 10, 1971 at Lakeview Hotel at lunchtime with the proponent himself, Benny Santos, as guest speaker. Finally the Rotary International Board of Directors approved the charter of Los Ba�os on December 12, 1971 as the 49th club in District 380. Actual presentation of certificate, however, was handed to Pres. Berong Cenda�a by PDG Calvin Chang of the Rotary Club of Taipei, who was the RI representative to DISCON at Intercon on 15 February 1972.

At the start of its official function, the club decided to hold regular meetings every Saturday, 12:30 p.m. at Lakeview Resort Hotel. And from then on, the long voyage began. The voyagers may be visualized to be riding on a small boat over a vast ocean of uncertainty, every now and then rocked by the monstrous waves trying to pull it down into the ocean of oblivion.

Through the years of this great journey, most of the voyagers slipped overboard, but thanks to the determination and gallantry of some old voyagers and some new riders, who joined during the middle of the voyage, they kept the boat afloat. Such Rotarians were Francisco �Kiko� Santos and Ramon �Mon� Samaniego of the old and Manuel �Manny� Baroso, Valentin �Val� Cedillo, and Eliseo �Eli� Cadapan of the new. They vowed and committed themselves to the service of the community. They could not turn their backs on what had been started.

It can be recalled that during the club�s low point, these few loyalists held their induction, simultaneously with out-of-school group representing the Interact Club whose projects then were pig dispersal and vegetable production, in a rice field bounded by paddies at Sitio Hanggan, Barangay Dila, Bay, Laguna with simple refreshments of arid sandwiches and anemic pineapple juice.

Truly an old saying, �The highest reward for a man�s toil is not what he gets for it, but rather what he becomes by it,� has been proven by the fact that undoubtedly the Rotary Club of Los Ba�os has overcome the apocalyptic voyage. Regretfully, however during the period of great struggle, the duo of Kiko Santos and Mon Samaniego passed away. But the will and determination to serve were certainly the great factors that inspired the troika of new and the rest of the fresh crew members to continue holding on.

Small in size but big in determination, the club was able to host DISCON '89 with impressive attendees of 413 delegates representing 52 clubs and a guest club from Uganda.

The Club continued to grow with the chartering of RC Bay on 21 January 1993, its first progeny, to cover Bay and Calauan area. The first progeny proved to be prolific as RC Calauan was chartered on 18 January 1994.

It was in Rotary Year 1994-95 when the club decided to return to its original venue of its meeting at the Lakeview Resort Hotel. The Rotary Club of Los Ba�os reached another great height when PP Calo Calora was nominated District Governor of District 3820 in RY 1994-95. For the second time the club hosted the DISCON �96 during the term of DG Calora with PP Ruben Villareal as Discon Chairman. It was also during this year when the first Micro-Credit Matching Grant was initiated in the District under then Pres. Benjie Enalbes.

Since the start of the new millennium, RCLB, with a forward-looking spirit, has been continuously participating in many significant activities for the benefit of its community through the different avenues of service. It has been gaining recognition and awards by the district and the Rotary International President for its outstanding accomplishments.

It was last December 1999 when the club successfully organized a new extension club, the Rotary Club of Los Ba�os Makiling. PP Ruben Villareal, the District Governor Special Representative, led the club in organizing the new club whose members are all women. This is the second progeny of Rotary Club of Los Ba�os.

Rotary Year 1999-2000 was another fruitful year for RCLB. The club received the RI Presidential Citation and several district service awards for several significant accomplishments namely; Outstanding Club President, Pres. Gil Fernandez, Oustanding Club Secretary PDS Sendong Palis, District Service Award for PDG Calo Calora, PP Ben Villareal, and PS Binoy Flores and the membership and extension award.