DISTRICT MEMORANDUM NO. 1
Date: 15 August 2021
To: LIFE CHANGING PRESIDENTS, R.I. DISTRICT 3810
From: DISTRICT GOVERNOR ROBERT G. KOA
Subject: a) Call for Nomination for District Governor Nominee (DGN) for
the Rotary Year 2024-2025, Rotary International District 3810
- b) Continued Implementation of the E-Voting Format
- c) Restatement of RI Election Guidelines
My Dear Life Changing Presidents,
- Call for Nomination for DGN for Rotary Year 2024-2025
Pursuant to Section 12.040 of the By-Laws of Rotary International (“RI By-Laws”), as contained in the Rotary International 2019 Manual of Procedure, I am informing and encouraging you to please submit the nomination of your respective Clubs for District Governor Nominee (“DGN”) to serve as District Governor of District 3810 for Rotary Year 2024-2025.
To be qualified as a DGN, the candidate must have all the qualifications for a Governor-nominee as laid down in Section 16.010 of the RI By-Laws, to wit:
- Be a member in good standing of a functioning club in the district;
- Have served as club president for a full term or as charter president for at least six months;
- Demonstrate willingness, commitment, and ability to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of a governor in Section 16.030 of the RI By-Laws;
- Demonstrate knowledge of the qualifications, duties, and responsibilities of governor as prescribed in the By-Laws; and,
- Submit to RI a statement that the Rotarian understands those qualifications, duties, and responsibilities, is qualified for the office of governor, and is willing and able to assume and faithfully
perform those duties and responsibilities.
A Club may nominate only one of its own members for DGN. The nomination shall be in the form of a Club Resolution, adopted at a regular meeting of the Club, duly certified by the Club Secretary and attested to by the club President. The Club Resolution must likewise include an attestation that:
- The candidate is a member in good standing of the Club; and,
- The Club is a functioning Club in the District, as defined in Section 2.010.1 of the November 2020 Rotary Code of Policies (“Rotary Code”), to wit:
1) It has paid its per capita dues to Rotary International;
2) It holds meetings regularly consistent with RI constitutional documents;
3) Its members subscribed to and have paid for the Philippine Rotary Magazine in accordance with
Section 21.020 of the RI By-Laws;
4) It has been implementing service projects that address needs in the local community and/or in
communities in other countries;
5) It receives the visit of the governor, assistant governor, or an officer of Rotary International;
6) It maintains appropriate liability insurance as provided in Section 72.060 of the Rotary Code;
7) It is acting in a manner consistent with the RI Constitution, By-Laws, and the Rotary Code;
8) It complies with requests from the RI Board to terminate a Rotarian’s membership who admits
to, is convicted of or is otherwise found to have engaged in harassment as defined in the Rotary
Code;
9) It pays its RI membership and district dues without outside assistance;
10) It provides accurate membership lists on a timely basis to the general secretary (at a minimum,
clubs must report their membership changes to the general secretary so they are received by 1
July and 1 January);
11) It resolves club disputes in an amicable manner;
12) It maintains cooperative relations with the district;
13) It cooperates with RI by not initiating or maintaining, or retaining in its membership an
individual who initiates or maintains, litigation against Rotary International or The Rotary
Foundation, including their directors, trustees, officers, and employees, prior to exhausting all
remedies provided for in RI’s constitutional documents; and;
14) It follows and completes the election review process established in the RI bylaws.
Moreover, as mandated by Section 12.020 of the RI By-Laws, “(t)o participate in district voting for the election of governors-nominee, a club shall have paid the required district levy for the Rotary year in which the voting is taking place and shall not be indebted to the district. The financial status of the club is determined by the governor”.
In addition, the Club shall submit to the District Office the biographical data of the candidate, with his/her attached 2”x2” black and white photo (in 115 copies). The biographical data shall include the following:
- Name of candidate; name and location of Rotary club; number of years a Rotarian; classification or former classification; name of firm or former firm; position in firm or former firm; district or zone
meetings attended in last five years; current position(s) and/or assignment(s) in Rotary (elective or
appointed); former position(s) and/or assignment(s) (elective or appointed);
- Special Rotary services and/or particular Rotary activities in which candidate has been engaged, i.e. What candidate has done to advance Rotary;
- Most significant honors or achievements in business, occupational, and professional activities; and,
- Most significant honors or achievements in civic and public service activities.
The biographical data shall be distributed to all the club presidents in the district consonant with Section 19.030.2 of the Rotary Code.
The following should be sent to and received by the Office of the District Governor not later than 5PM of 15 September 2021 at 50 Jose Abad Santos Street, Heroes Hills, Quezon City 1104:
- a) Club Resolution, which shall include the aforestated attestations;
- b) Completed Governor Nominee Data Form in 115 copies, a copy of which is attached hereto
- c) Candidate’s sworn declaration that he is qualified as a DGN and meets all the qualifications for a
Governor-nominee as laid down in Section 16.010 of the RI By-Laws; and,
- d) Candidate’s biographical data consistent with Section 19.030.2 of the Rotary Code.
- Continued Implementation of the E-Voting Format
Pursuant to Section 2.130.4 of the Rotary Code and the Resolution of the RI Board at its September 2020 Meeting, the Philippines remain among the countries mandated to conduct electronic voting, for a three-year period, beginning 1 July 2020, with following provisions:
- Clubs chartered or reinstated during the Rotary year in which the selection takes place, or from January to June of the year prior to the year in which the selection takes place, will be ineligible to
participate in any of the selection process;
- When a club ballot is necessary, the voting strength of each club will be based on the number of members on the July invoice of the year prior to the year in which the club ballot takes place, or the
July invoice of the year in which the club ballot takes place, whichever is lower. ( June 2021 Mtg.,
Bd, Dec. 193).
Kindly note that only fully paid functioning Clubs will receive ballots. Thus, it is imperative that all Clubs settle all their obligations to RI as well as all District dues, including the District Disaster Fund and at least half of the PRM fee, on or before 30 September, 2021.
Given the proximity of the e-voting date, we strongly urge all Life Changing Presidents at the soonest time possible, preferably by 22 August 2021, to provide the District their names (as they appear in the portal) and their working email addresses. These data will be sent to the office of Andrew Best, RI Supervisor for the Philippines (RISOP). RISOP will provide the District with a list of Club Presidents’ email addresses for verification. So, you need to ensure that you have a working email address. Once verified, the District will return to RISOP a list of the functioning clubs as defined in Section 2.010.1 of the Rotary Code.
- Restatement of RI Election Guidelines
Section 13.010 of the RI By-Laws strictly prohibits all Rotarians for conducting “any effort to influence the selection process for an elective office in any manner, including campaigning, canvassing, or electioneering xxx for elective position in RI, or allow such activity, for either themselves or others”. In this regard, in compliance with the mandate of Section 17.040.1 of the Rotary Code, please be advised of the current election guidelines as found in
Section 26.060.4 of the Rotary Code, to wit:
“26.060.4. Rules Regarding Campaigning, Canvassing and Electioneering. It is a fundamental
principle in Rotary that the best qualified candidate should be selected for service in Rotary’s
elective offices. Therefore, any effort to influence the selection process in a positive or negative
manner by campaigning, canvassing, electioneering or otherwise is prohibited under the RI
Bylaws. The following rules shall be followed concerning campaigning, canvassing and
electioneering for any Rotarian considering election to the office of president, director, Governor,
or Council representative, or the nominating committee for any such office. These rules are
designed to ensure that the best qualified candidate is selected for office:
1) Rotarians should at all times conform to the prohibitions of the RI Bylaws concerning
campaigning, canvassing or electioneering. All Rotarians should observe both the letter and the
spirit of the bylaws and refrain from any activity whose purpose or effect is to influence others by
promoting or soliciting support for a candidate’s or another Rotarian’s candidacy. Such activity is
repugnant to the spirit of the bylaws and the principles of Rotary and will be grounds for
disqualification of a candidate.
2) Campaigning, canvassing or electioneering is any action seeking to promote, attack, support, or
oppose a candidate, either directly or indirectly, in any medium, including, but not limited to, any
action seeking votes, requesting support in a forthcoming election, distribution of literature or
promotional materials or other overt actions intended to promote one’s candidacy for an elected
Rotary office.
3) The periods of candidacy for elective office begin when individual Rotarians begin to give
serious consideration to submitting their names for a position covered by the RI rules for
nominations and elections. Commencing at that time, candidates should be particularly careful to
avoid any actions designed to publicize their names or achievements, to call attention to the
applicable nominations or elections, or to give candidates an unfair advantage over other
candidates for the same position.
4) The normal performance of duly-assigned Rotary activities would not be considered to be a
violation of the policies related to campaigning, canvassing or electioneering.
5) Contacting clubs to inform them to request their concurrence for a proposed challenge or
election complaint is not prohibited provided that such contact is limited to the exchange of
factual information”.
Finally, Section 17.040.1 of the Rotary Code directs all Rotarians and election candidates to:
“1. Learn and follow both the spirit and the letter of RI’s election guidelines
- Consult with knowledgeable Rotarians about current or new assignments which may give an
appearance of campaigning
- Not undertake personal initiatives to gain visibility, personal recognition, or favor
- Not respond in kind to another candidate’s improper activities 5.
Not communicate with or visit clubs involved in the applicable election except to fulfill necessary
functions”.
Life Changing Presidents, let us work together, hand in hand, towards the selection of the best qualified DGN to serve RI District 3810.
Yours in Rotary Service,
ROBERT G. KOA
District Governor, RID 3810
RY 2021-2022