The “Impacto” Presidents

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 Ready to create a lasting impact: President Joey B. Lat.

In the world of Rotary, July is always a momentous month. It marks the official changing of the guard and the dawn of the new 2026-27 Rotary year. Every year, the incoming international leadership introduces a theme to set the tone, and this year’s rallying cry is to "Create Lasting Impact."

Naturally, incoming club presidents need to prep for such a heavy mandate. Before taking the reins, they gather for an intensive three-day presidential training seminar. But it wasn't all serious lectures and note-taking. During one of the fellowship nights, the incoming president of the Rotary Club of Intramuros, Joey Lat, wittily coined a new moniker for his batchmates: the "Impacto Presidents."

The room instantly erupted in laughter.

As Filipinos, we all know the word impacto carries a hilarious double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s a colorful, old-school reprimand—“Impacto ka, walanghiya ka!”—usually reserved for a lovable scoundrel or an annoying troublemaker. On the other hand, in modern colloquial speak, it’s a badge of high praise: “Pare, impacto ang proposal mo, ang galing!”—meaning it’s absolutely brilliant and hard-hitting.

Fortunately for the Rotary Club of Intramuros, President Joey embodies the latter definition perfectly.

That is just the distinct character of Joey B. Lat. When he was inducted into Rotary three years ago, his potential for leadership was already glaringly obvious. His organizational skills were further honed during his time as the Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus. He is the best kind of leader: engaging, humble, genuinely collaborative, and always willing to listen to the wisdom and counsel of his fellow members.

More importantly, he doesn't just have vision; he has a concrete plan to bring RCI to greater heights. In fact, he is already breaking club records. Before his term even officially commenced, he successfully recruited 12 new members. And in an unprecedented milestone in our club’s history, he managed to convince these new members to pay their membership dues in advance—well before their formal induction! Now that is an impacto achievement.

More members are lined up to join, drawn in by President Joey’s simple, focused, and unboisterous style of leadership. He doesn't need to shout to get people to follow; his sincerity does the talking.

If anyone needed proof of how laser-focused his leadership is, they only needed to look at our very first meeting last night. Talk about executive efficiency! Every single attendee was handed a personalized folder bearing their own name. Inside was a neatly organized packet: the night's agenda, the minutes of the previous meeting, and crucial financial updates like the Treasurer’s Report. No messy papers, no confusion. At the end of the evening, the personalized folders were returned to the secretariat, ready to be restocked with the next meeting’s pertinent matters. It's safe to say corporate boardrooms could learn a thing or two from President Joey!

But don't think it was all strict business. To seamlessly pivot from the serious tenor of board discussions to absolute fun, President Joey introduced a lively raffle draw during the fellowship segment. The room quickly filled with laughter and cheers. Most heartwarming of all, our newly recruited members—even those not yet formally inducted—were already right in the thick of the action, instantly bonding with their new barkada group.

What a pleasing, brilliant start to the term! It is a beautiful, positive indicator of the bright days that lay ahead for us.

The club’s primary goal remains clear: aggressive fundraising to sustain our vital humanitarian projects. President Joey is primed, experienced, and raring to go.

But the real question is... is the Club ready?

That is a question every Ilustre must ponder. The bandwagon is already moving fast, aiming to uplift our club's spirit to the highest plane possible. With President Joey firmly at the helm, let us all hop aboard the "Impacto Bandwagon" and usher the Rotary Club of Intramuros back to its golden glory!

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