JCI Philippines (PHILIPPINE JAYCEES) STORY |
More than Half-a-Century of Pioneering Leadership Excellence
By JCI Sen. Reginald T. Yu
2002 National Secretary-General |
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The Philippine Jaycees now JCI Philippines is the first nationally organized leadership development organization established in Asia. It began when two delegates from the Manila Jaycees, Gregorio M. Feliciano and Jose N. Mayuga, attended the 3rd World Congress of the Junior Chamber International held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to petition for the admission of the chapter to the world-wideorganization. They came back to Manila on March 10, 1948 with the charter for the national chamber that was to be known as the Philippine Jaycees, and the distinction for Jaycee Gregorio M. Feliciano for being the first Filipino Vice-President for Asia of Junior Chamber International.
This involvement earnestly began with Artemio L. Vergel de Dios, who read about the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce in the October 1946 issue of an American magazine, PIC and forthwith wrote the UnitedStates Jaycees to inquire how a similar organization could be established in the Philippines.
By September 12, 1947, Vergel de Dios got the cue from Robert H. Richards, Executive Secretary for External Affairs of the United States Jaycees, who referred him to Bertram J. Talbot, a former Jaycee from St. Paul, Minnesota, who was then the Traffic Manager of Northwestern Airlines in Manila. At about the same time, Talbot got a letter from Taylor S. Cole, then World President of the Junior Chamber International, about Vergel de Dios’ intention, suggesting that he and Trent, then representative of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters in Manila, meet with the Filipino.
As advised, the meeting among the three was arranged and held at the Manila Hotel on September 25, 1947 and initial plans were drawn for an organizational meeting. These were firmed up in
October with a list of at least 60 young men to be charter members, but only sixteen were able to attend the organizational meeting on December 20, 1947.
By the time the constitution and by-laws of the Manila Jaycees was taken up and approved on January 3, 1948, forty-two members had signed up. The first Board of Directors elected Ramon V. del Rosario, President; Eugenio J. Puyat, Vice-President for External Affairs; Jose N. Mayuga, Vice-President for Internal Affairs; Artemio L. Vergel de Dios, Secretary; Gregorio M. Feliciano, Treasurer; and Steve B. Brodie, Public Relations Officer.
Having granted the charter for the national Jaycee organization in the Philippines, the Manila Jaycees fanned out into the provinces to organize chapters. The first to respond were the young men
of Cebu on April 18, 1948. By year end, the number of chapters organized had reached twelve.
The first Philippine Jaycee National Convention was held at the Manila Hotel from February 11-13, 1949. Following the approval of the Constitution and By-laws of the Philippine Jaycees, the first set
of national officers was elected with Ramon V. del Rosario as National President.
That same month, sixteen Filipino Jaycees attended the 4th JCI World Congress in Brussels, Belgium. The rather large delegation impressed the Jaycees from the different countries that they
voted to hold the 5th JCI World Congress in Manila the following year. From Brussels, the Filipino delegates broke up into five teams for a “Sell the Philippines” campaign tour of Latin America,
Canada, and the United States. With different itineraries, the Filipino ambassadors of goodwill spokeat banquets, radio programs, and newspaper interviews about the Philippines and its people.
At the 5th JCI World Congress held from March 1-8, 1950, Vice-President Fernando G. Lopez and other officials of the Philippine Government addressed the delegates. A momentous highlight of t he assembly was the election of Ramon V. del Rosario as the sixth JCI World President, the first Filipino and Asian to hold that position. Two years later, another Filipino by the name of Roberto T. Villanueva, was elected to the same office. Other Filipinos subsequently elected JCI President were Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. (Manila), Victor Chichos Luciano (Quezon City Capitol) and Crispin Dy, Jr. (Makati).
The rise of J ayceeism in the Philippines and in Asia paralleled the organization’s phenomenal growth the world over. In 1952, there were only 79 local chapters in Asia, of which 37 were in the Philippines and 34 in Japan, with a chapter each in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. By 1954, Jaycee chapters had been organized in Burma, Ceylon, Malaysia and Pakistan. There were nucleus organizations in Borneo and Laos, which eventually became full chambers. In that year, Asia had 13 national chambers with a total of 126 local chapters.
Through the years, the Philippine Jaycees has become a by-word in civic projects of varying scope and importance such as the setting up of monuments and blood banks, exterminating harmful insects, and campaigning for people to “get out and vote.”
Two projects of the Philippine Jaycees which have become institutions are the “Voice of Democracy” in oratorical contest among students and the annual search for “The Outstanding Young Men” of the Philippines, both projects adopted from the Manila Jaycees in 1953 and 1960, respectively. Also to its great credit was “Operation Brotherhood,” a humanitarian project in Vietnam and Laos. The essence of “Operations Brotherhood” was an enlarged and more systematic application of a multi-disciplinary approach in helping the needy.
In 1959, the Philippine Jaycees held its very first Special National Constitutional Convention, which aimed to streamline the operations of a growing chamber. The decade of the 1960s saw more and
more chapters taking active part in the helm of Philippine Jaycee leadership, indicating its dynamism in extension activities as well as the national organization’s soaring image in provincial Jaycee
circles. In 1968, under the auspices of National President Agapito A. Aquino, the Philippine Jaycees housed its permanent headquarters at Roces Avenue in Quezon City.
The Philippine Jaycees continued its role in developing the leadership skills of a new generation of Filipinos, those who would eventually rise to the zenith of political and economic influence some
two decades later. The 33rd JCI World Congress was hosted by the Philippine Jaycees from November 5-11, 1978 and was hailed as the most well attended World Congress at that time.
The 1990s ushered in a new set of leaders whose activities were geared towards nation building and the preparation to the new challenges offered by the times. On November 15-21, 1998, the
Philippine Jaycees hosted the 53rd JCI World Congress in Manila. All these were achieved as the National Organization celebrated its golden anniversary, together with the Centennial celebration of
the country’s proclamation of independence.
As the Philippine Jaycees braces itself toward the new millennium, the new set of leaders gears themselves up to prepare for the challenges that will beset the organization. As it had already been an
active participant to the passage of governments and economic transformations in the region, the Jaycee movement in the Philippines continues to survive and thrives as it has done for half a
century. Through all these upheavals, the jaycee movement has been firmly rooted, evolving into hundreds of local chapters in the more than two dozen JCI national organization members in Asia.
The Jaycee considers himself a citizen of the world, a brother to all men. It is for this reason that Jayceeism in the Philippines is destined to be an unbroken continuum… in the service of humanity
for all time.
The other dimensin of Jayceeism is the Jaycee Senate, founded in January 1952 by JCI President Phil T.R. Pugsley of Canada, to provide a lifetime link with the organization for elder members and
at the same time harness them for Jaycee extension.
Today, the Jaycee Senate International has over 75,000 members representing just a little over one percent of the three million people who have been Jaycee. This is so because a JCI Senatorship, a
lifetime title, is selectively for outstanding performance by a Jaycee whether on the local, national or
international level.
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