A warm welcome to our Guest Speaker for today, Mr. Charlie Cruz, TOSP 2000. Charlie was bypassed once before by our club in favor of the Australian Ambassador who was representing his country. Charlie however, took this in stride and when invited to speak again by our club, he readily accepted, considering it a great honor. Well, the honor is ours, Charlie. It is no mean feat to be adjudged one of the ten outstanding students of the country. We shall surely learn something from you today. So today, we are all ears. Today we are your students.

Welcome also to the officers of the Interact Club of DMMMSU and their adviser Mrs. Elena Patacsil. We are now  making it a policy to induct the officers of the Interact and Rotaract Clubs affiliated with us in our weekly meetings to make things really official- the general membership can scrutinize the proceedings. Of course, we will keep these inductions short and sweet. Congratulations to the officers and we hope you will be our active 'Partners-in-Service' in the coming months.

Learning is a continuous process and it is something you can get from all sources. One can learn from the 'young' and the 'not-so-young'. I remember talking to PP Rufi Macagba Jr. ( now in the States e-mailing us of his make-ups ), about a topic that escapes me now.  I however, remember him mentioning a certain "Pareto Principle" which I was then unfamiliar with. So I did some research. This is what I found.

Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) is an Italian sociologist, economist and mathematician, whose main work is a book entitled "Mind and Society" (rough translation) published  in 1916. Pareto noted that about 20% of the  wealth in Italy in his time was in the hands of 20% of the population ( sounds like the Philippines ). Pareto sought to explain in mathematical terms the great inequality he noted existing  in all levels of human activity. For example, in group dynamics, 80% of the work done by an organization or company is due to just 20% of its members. Of course, the percentages are not exactly 80 and 20 but the point is that a great inequality exists. Linear thinking would say that most of the work of a group would be accomplished by 80% of the members, but this is almost never so. Even in the highly successful terms of the club presidents who preceded me, the "Pareto Principle" was still very evident. Some managers believe that there is no way around it. One simply has to identify his 'core group' ( 20% ) and then work from there. Well maybe this is true but I hope there is no harm in experimenting. Director Jerry Parlan by giving even the Past Presidents of the club a 'stake' in its affairs ( nothing like a contest to stir up complacent blood ) we hope to break the 80-20 ratio. If it succeeds, then we can come up with the "Parlan Principle" in group dynamics.

More announcements will come during the President's time.           

Like the Oblation that stands tall in UP, which incidentally is Jerry's Alma Mater, similarly will he most likely to tower as a true-blooded Rotarian in no time. Credits to the relentless efforts of PP Cres Fernandez and the skillful enforcement by Press Albert Dy who prodded Jerry V. Parlan to join our club.

Jerry is a welcome addition, indeed. He has the brilliance and articulateness of a Rotarian. His academic background included: Elementary at UP, then went to Philippine Science High School and enrolled back at UP to complete an AB Philosophy Course. He could have gone in pursuit of career in Laws had the political climate during the early 80s been lucrative to lawyers.

He's got traits that are certainly admirable-persevering, hard working, and goal oriented. His amelioration as Operations Manager of LUECO was not effortless. Despite his close association by affinity to the Valeros, who are his first cousins, he chose to be propelled up through efficiency merits. He scaled the heights from a Systems Operator in 1983, then to Head the Account Services Department in 1986, and up to his present job. Certainly, he has still more to offer.

Thirdly, he's got a good dedication to any of his undertakings. He would commit himself to improvement of his club. He can be counted on anytime for good causes and would not hesitate to spell a difference should the sailing gets tough. He has contributed a lot to the La Union Chamber of Commerce and Industry as its Director. With this attribute he has been lured to join a number of organizations, but Simba was too slow and meek so that the ever bold and aggressive Ilocano rotarians of San Fernando got the prize-catch.

Jerry hails from Manila, but has as endearing a heart for La Union and its people as La Union-nites do. He has built a happy home here with his wife Josephine, and two kids. He has learned to love extending a hand for community-based programs and other socio-civic activities as he staunchly believes that "service, above all" should be inculcated to every single individual to be able to prosper as a people. May your tribe increase!