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By Rommel C. Lontayao
Photo by Sarah Encabo
At 70, businessman Renato “Ato” Magadia is
still as dynamic and dependable as ever. Concurrently, Magadia
serves as chairman for four companies besides his duties as district
governor for the Rotary Club.
“At my age, with all the commitments I have
and all the things I’m still doing, why do I still have the
energy, dedication and strong reason to accept the post as Rotary
district governor, who carries a very big responsibility?” Magadia
seems to question himself.
Pausing for a few seconds in retrospection, he
bounces back with a quick reply, “The reason is because I wanted
to make a difference by giving service as part of an organization
that I have loyally served for the past 35 years. I thought that
perhaps, in some ways, I can contribute to the advancement of
Rotary, especially for my district.”
Magadia, who started his one-year term as
governor of Rotary District 3830 middle of last year, admits that he
was initially reluctant to accept the position before he finally
gave in to the numerous requests and pleadings of his colleagues.
Magadia was already starting to live life the
way he pleases, considering that he has worked hard all his life,
but the calling simply couldn’t be set aside. He is fully aware
that being a district governor is major responsibility. “ I guess
fate has brought me into this,” he rationalizes, adding, “There
is a clamor in the district that perhaps I should serve as a
governor as part of what many refer to as my ‘legacy’ as a
Rotarian. Our club, which has been among the strongest and most
influential clubs in the district, has also been constantly
advocating that it should have some good representations in the
district. That’s why my peers encouraged me to take on the
position.”
He volunteers that it was the pressure from his
fellow Rotarians coupled with his dedication to giving community
service that finally firmed up his decision.
As a business executive and a Rotarian
Magadia became a certified public accountant in
1959 after graduating from the University of the Philippines. He has
vast experiences working as auditor and chief accountant before his
retirement in 1998 as president and chief executive officer of
Zuellig Corp.
Due to his expertise in the fields of finance,
mergers and acquisitions, the company recognized him as the “Chief
Architect” of Zuellig’s growth in the Philippines. In 2005, he
was recognized as one of Asia ’s Best CEOs by the Asia Business
Leader Awards.
Magadia also became a board member of various
public companies, among these was his glorious stint at PCI Bank,
where he served as director for 12 years. He now serves as the
chairman and CEO of Waterfront (Phils.) Inc., Metro Alliance
Holdings, & Equities Corp., and Mabuhay Vinyl Corp.
Having been a charter member of the Rotary Club
of Makati North since 1973, the amiable magadia became the club’s
25th president. “I’ve been with the club for 35 years, meaning I
have been a Rotarian for half of my life,” shares Magadia. He
explains that before one’s actual term as a Rotary district
governor, he has to be elected governor-nominee in 2005, before
becoming a governor-elect.
“To become a governor, you must have the
experience of having served in positions at various levels because
that experience give you insights on how to run the district.”
Magadia admits that the job of a district
governor is not an easy one. “People always look at you as a
leader and that leadership carries with it a responsibility
especially towards the Rotary International. You have to supervise
all the clubs in your district because as the governor, you are
considered as the extension of Rotary International.”
With the many posts he is occupying, he says
that he has to really take time management seriously. He is also
aware that he has to have a good team. “Every good leader needs
good people he can work with.” A leader must also be very careful
because there are many who just want the position and not the
job,” he adds.
Policies as district governor
As governor of District 3830, Magadia oversees
an entire district composed of 76 clubs, 36 of which are all from
Makati City, while the others are clubs from the cities of
Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Pateros and Taguig and the
provinces of Rizal and Palawan.
Magadia said he wants to be remembered as the
district governor who instilled the importance of punctuality and
the one who gave focus on the smaller clubs in his district.
“It’s the first in the district that
punctuality among Rotarians is being observed because most
Filipinos, to tell you the truth, are not punctual and are always
late. I have imposed punctuality in all activities and I’ve
inculcated to all the club presidents its importance. That, perhaps,
is my legacy,” he intones.
“Also, one of the important things that I have
done is to give attention to the smaller clubs. Sometimes, what
happens is that the big clubs are usually favored. For me, I go the
other way and look at the smaller clubs where the problems are more
critical because they have less resources compared to the big
ones,” he adds.
The district governor is hatching a plan to
“Reinvent Rotary for the Next Generation”, which is in adherence
to the approved strategic plan of the Rotary International Board for
Rotary Year 2007 to 2008. To meet this, he formulated his own plan
known as the “Seven Strategic Initiatives,” which he said has
commenced even before he started his term.
The first one is adopting the Club Leadership
Plan (CLP) recommended by Rotary International as a “best
practice” structure for managing effective clubs.
The second is setting up effective communication
linkages among clubs with the district and among members of each
club. Magadia noted that the district has set up a website,
www.rotary3830.org, which became fully operational in June. An
e-group among club presidents and district officers has also been
created to be able to connect everyone anytime. He also wanted to
establish a high level Public Relations Committee to project the
positive image of the district. “There have been misconceptions
about Rotary and these have to be corrected, “ he volunteers.
Magadia also emphasizes the family’s
role and he encourages clubs to include spouses and other members of
the family to attend fellowships and service projects under the
battle cry “Rotarize Your Family.” Leading by example, Magadia
said his wife Vicky is a member of the Inner Wheel— an
organization that is closely linked to the Rotary Club and composed
of mostly women members. Their son is also a Rotarian. “The family
unit is very important. This is where everything stems from. No
amount of success can measure up to the closeness of the family.”
Another initiative is promoting Rotary education
at the club level. Magadia believes that each club should increase
its awareness on the Rotary International’s recommendation of what
an effective club should be. The sixth initiative is encouraging
cooperation, and not competition, among the Rotary clubs in the
district.
The last one is simplifying the performance
report system to easily track performance indicators and enable
district officers to regularly monitor the growth and progress of
each club. This also allows the district officers to anticipate and
provide necessary support where it is needed most.
Magadia clarifies that his strategic initiative
may not be traditional, but taking the risk is sometimes needed to
test probable effective alternatives.
“I took the risk in establishing a good
communications system, having the awards system completely
overhauled, creating a system which does not encourage competition
but collaboration and alliances among clubs.”
Unity is key, according to Magadia. At 70, he
knows that there is still so much ahead in terms of positive
change—for the club, for his district, for the country.
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