COUNCILOR D.C. Nathan Sergio of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Naga intimated to Bicol Mail over the week that the Rotary Club of Naga has already prepared the design and blueprint for a new flagpole that will replace the Rotary wheel monument that has for decades been standing as if it were a civil guard in front of the monument in Naga City erected in honor of the Quince Martires de Camarines Sur.

        The willingness and gesture of the Rotary Club of Naga to replace the club’s signature monument with a flag pole is not only in keeping with the club’s four-way test for any activity it may undertake, think of, say or do but is highly commendable as it is very patriotic and essentially cultural, a kind of service a Paul Harris would have thought of.

        Let’s evaluate the replacement of the Rotary wheel with a flagpole under the four-way test of the Rotary.

        The first test is: Is it the truth? What is the truth about the Rotary wheel monument in Plaza Quince Martires? The truth is that the monument was constructed as an accommodation by the city for a very active civic club. In other words, the monument has no permanent claim on the plaza which is a public piece of property dedicated to culture. The monument then can be removed at any time. But goodwill and friendship between the city government and the members of the Rotary Club has kept the wheel in place for years.

        The second: Is it fair to all concerned? Fairness demands that what is due to country can never be bargained for and the Rotary Club of Naga is reacting proactively on the desire of the City government and of cultural societies to remove all obstructions when one views the Quince Martires monument. In giving more importance to the national colors than to its Rotary wheel, the Rotary Club of Naga affirms fairly its loyalty to country.

        The third: Will it build goodwill and better friendship? Goodwill and friendship can only thrive in an atmosphere of patriotism. There is no doubt that in making way for a flagpole where the Rotary Club of Naga monument is, the club is doing a patriotic act and goodwill and better friendship can never be far behind.

        The fourth: Will it be beneficial to all concerned? In setting a flagpole where the Rotary wheel used to stand, the club is sharing its sense of nationalism with the people and it reminds one and all that the site is something to be revered and be respected.

        More than the four-way test of the Rotary Club International is the patriotic and cultural nature of this initiative of the Rotary Club of Naga.

        What more patriotic gesture is there than the construction of a flagpole in a plaza dedicated to the memory of people who were killed on suspicion of rebellion against an outrageous regime as colonial as Spain at the throes of its fall. A permanent flagpole in Plaza Quince Martires speaks highly of a kind of service any citizen can give for country other than love of country, responsible and responsive citizenship, respect for national symbols that pervade and empower the hearts of the members of the Rotary Club of Naga.

        Truly, the construction of a flagpole in Plaza Quince Martires to replace the Rotary Wheel of the Rotary Club of Naga is a statement of leadership in giving what is due to a plaza as a place for reverence, a place which has become the official symbol for Naga City, unlike another plaza nearby, dedicated to the memory of national hero Jose Rizal but year in and year out has been virtually made into a tiangge, unruly, unkempt, untidy and smelly, to say the least.

        Two years ago, the theme of the Rotary Club International was “Lead the way”. With its willingness to have a flagpole constructed to replace its Rotary wheel monument in Plaza Quince Martires, the Rotary Club of Naga is certainly leading the way in giving importance to the city’s culture and heritage.

        We have said it before and we are saying it again: That is service, the Paul Harris way.