It’s RYLA time once again! Director for Community Service “A” Allan Branzuela and yours truly saw ourselves get to Kennon Road at 1 PM on Friday 10th of February. Our destination for this year’s Rotary Youth Leadership Awards or RYLA 101 was Angeles City with District Cluster 3-B Rotary Clubs (RC Dau, RC Angeles, RC Angeles Kuliat, RC Clarkfield, RC MetroAngeles Centennial, etc.) as hosts of RYLA 101. We wanted to get to Fontana by 6 PM to be able to join the Opening Ceremonies, because our very own PP Linda Winter, being this year’s District RYLA Chair, would be one of the main participants on stage. Director Allan took the wheel of the car and safely negotiated us thru the busy highway going south towards Manila and it took all of four hours leisure driving for us to finally arrive at the main gate of Fontana in Clarkfield. We had a half-hour merienda & pit stop at Jollibee Urdaneta along the way. As we were both preregistered, we bypassed the Registration Villa and went straight to the Fontana Lagoon where District Gerpy Erguiza was opening the proceedings. The Invocation, then our Philippine National Anthem followed and the Welcome Address was done by Assistant Governor Rico Dimabuyo. PDG Mark Go, PP Linda Winter, PP Dennis Go and President Lellaine Flores of RC MetroAngeles Centennial handled a panel discussion on “What Rotary Is and What Rotary does for Our Community”. District Governor Gerpy and First Lady Ching Erguiza were on hand to greet the different contingents from all over District 3790. RC Baguio had 17 RYLA delegates (including Cecille Apostol’s daughter and Mia Cawed’s daughter) from Interact Club of Phases Learning Center and University of Baguio College of Dentistry. To transport our 17 participants, our club was fortunate that President Mike lent us his Toyota Hi-Ace, and we hired the Pregio van of Jun Ursua. To chaperone our delegates were PP Linda Winter, PP Helmut Schlaaff, myself PP Chris Peralta, Rotarian Cecille who was accompanied by her husband Larry Apostol, Rotarian Johnie Go, Director Pam Perkins, Director Allan Branzuela and Secretary Gerard Audineau. A buffet dinner was served and then a “Getting to know you session” followed where participants from the different clusters were asked to enumerate as many names of the new friends they were able to meet and talk to during the allotted half hour as they could remember. As the participants named were called out, they would stand up to be recognized and also to validate that there was in fact such a person with that name. Rotaractor Janine Go, a Baguio delegate, was able to name 22 new friends and won the “getting to know you” activity.

The next day saw RYLA going thru such activities as Team building, a cheering competition, “How to become a Good Citizen”, games and cluster presentations of group dancing and singing. “Pinoy Ako” the theme song from the Pinoy Big Brother TV show was clearly one of the favorites for everyone because they kept playing and playing it over and over again with simultaneous group line dancing to the already quite familiar tune.

We RCB Rotarians stayed on the sidelines supporting PP Linda at the Fontana Convention Centre, and in-between, we made trips to the sumptuous breakfast buffet at Oasis Hotel, Razon’s Restaurant in Dau (where we took our lunch and where we tasted their famous 98 year old halo-halo recipe). Did PX shopping at Parkson’s and PureGold, replenished our bottled water supplies at the Ministop of the nearby gasoline station and had our Sunday breakfast at the ubiquitous McDonalds. Our dinner came from the readily available lechon manok stands located along the Dau main highway where it intersects with the exit coming from the North Luzon Expressway.

The RYLA participants held district elections that Saturday afternoon and a Family Day activity and Cheering competition were the culminating activities of the day held at the Centennial Expo Auditorium.

Sunday saw a Mass being celebrated, then breakfast was served followed by the culminating activity, with Awards and Recognitions being handed out by District Governor Gerpy and PP Linda Winter to the top ten Rotaract/Interact Clubs of the District. A Photo taking session followed where all the clubs were given the chance to take pictures on stage with District Governor Gerpy and District First Lady Ching, and the RYLA organizers. Lodgings for our two night - three days stay at Fontana were quite luxurious as we Rotarians occupied one villa; on the pricey side, though. At noon time Sunday saw us loading all our 17 delegates (and some more delegates from other Baguio Rotary clubs who did not have rides) in one van and the five private vehicles of our Rotarians ( Johnie’s, Cecille’s, Helmut’s, Gerard’s and Chris’s). After a late lunch at Luisita and a pitstop and hot coffee at Caltex Saitan, we arrived safe and sound at 7 PM back in Pines City to end our RYLA 101 weekend in Fontana.