Good Evening Fellow Members and Guests,

I was lucky to attend as a probee the 2003 opening exhibit of the club 75th anniversary at the National Museum. I was amazed by the exhibit, the quality of the photos, its heritage and the people within the club. Then 2003 Club President, Lito Quimel did a good job in putting together the exhibit. It impressed on me that being President of this prestigious club requires guts and leadership equivalent to a CEO of a private corporation.

It didn’t occur to me that after several years with the club that I will be standing here as the club next President. Do I have the guts and the leadership? I don’t know. However, like anyone else in the club, I have to contribute back to the club what I have learned in photography, the friendship and meaning of camaraderie.

Since I joined the club, I learned that there are two things that bind the membership together, camaraderie and photography. As incoming President for 2011, I will put my efforts in further strengthening these ties and continue the advocacy of former President Rey Ortiz in reaching out to members to participate in club activities.

There are various ways of strengthening camaraderie in the club and most effective is doing things together. However before we can do this, we need to communicate effectively the activities of the club. As Quincy Castillo said, the club yahoo group is a tool to communicate but sometimes it is not effective enough to encourage participation. You need to call each one of your friends personally for them to participate. We have to bring back old friends in the club so we can enjoy again doing things together. We will continue with the phone barrage which was effective in the unprecedented high attendance in the last anniversary event.

We will continue in further improving the website developed by Nesty Ocampo. This communicating tool is very effective in reaching out to members whether they are abroad or quite busy to actively participate in club activities. It is different if you are made aware of what activities the club is doing. It encourages them to go back and participate again.

The website will also be our window outside of the club. We will develop content materials that will further improve the club’s brand name.

Another activity the 2011 Board will pursue is archiving of CCP photos and materials. CCP on its 83rd years of existence has a rich heritage and its history must be preserved. The archived photos will also facilitate selection of members’ photos for exhibition as well as development of stock photos in the future. To ensure continuity of archiving, guideline was developed on the process. We will also form the club historical committee to formalize ways on how we can keep intact the club histories and stories of club members. We will bring back the “featured photographer” that was started by former President Leo Riingen. Such materials will form part of the CCP Archives as well as the website. It is important that we know the members of the club and its achievement and introduce them to the new members of the club.

Through our Vice President, Manolo Roxas, we will ensure the club complies with all regulatory requirements and ensure the club maintains its legal status.

Let me move on to our common love for photography.

We as members of CCP should make ourselves and what we do in the name of love for photography better known and more reachable. The photos we created will have value if we share our photos to others through exhibition, website as well as civic contribution for community building or the club’s social responsibility (CSR).

In the past, our contributions to Red Cross and Cancer Society have made headway in helping these institutions better response to the needs of our less fortunate countrymen.

This year, we will tie up with one of our OTS activity “Pasig River” with Buhayin ang Pasig Foundation. We will find ways how our photos will help in the revival of the Pasig River.

At this point, we have an outstanding invitation from the Metropolitan Museum for CCP to exhibit its works.

Finally we will pursue the continuing education in photography for the general membership. We have rich resources of members who can share their talents to the members that will improve the quality of photos we produce.

In closing ladies and gentlemen of CCP, I would like to invite you to share and support the goals of CCP as we reach our 83rd year. From the oldest lifetime member to the newest probationary member, we all at one point took our vow of commitment to the club. But commitment will just be a word, unless we participate, contribute and active involvement. Together let us continue to build a CCP that is vibrant and alive forever.

Thank you.