This Is How We Do It

In one of my favorite shows, how I met your mother, Ted Mosby said, “it was at times a long, difficult road. But I’m glad it was long and difficult, because if I hadn’t gone through hell to get there, the lesson might not have been as clear.

And this sums up my JCI Journey, and in those 8 to 9 years, I was lucky to have witness the rise of JCI Mandaue. So Kids, I’m gonna tell you an incredible story. The story of how our chapter, JCI Mandaue reached where we are today.

For me it all started when I attended my first project back in December 2017, it was a Christmas party for the children of Barangay Umapad. My job there was simple, to carry some boxes, stick some things on the wall, and hand some school supplies to the children. That moment touched my heart and I was instantly hooked to JCI. I knew right then that I wanted to serve others more and that this is the right place for me because community has always been the heart of JCI Mandaue.

In 2018, JCI Mandaue hosted the Area Convention and it was my first time attending the National Convention in Iligan. I remembered that we didn’t win any awards that year, and ever since then, AVP Eric, NT Nike and I kept dreaming and hoping that one day we will be going up the stage, not just for recognition, but to bring JCI Mandaue to the next level.

In 2019, I ran as the VP for community development. During that year we were building daycare classrooms with NT Nike, organizing outreach projects for our adopted communities, and I also chaired the Bags to School Area Launching for 500 children from 27 barangays in Mandaue City. I learned so much that year as a board of director, and I discovered why we am in this organization, to develop ourselves and reach our full potential so that we could be a blessing to the lives of other people.

But after organizing around 12 community projects, I realized that I can only do so much alone, but if we can inspire other people to do the same, then we can have a much bigger impact. So In 2020 I wanted to share all my learnings and experiences with other members so I ran as the EVP for Internal Affairs and we developed a training platform for JCI Mandaue, under the leadership of AVP Eric, and with the help NEVP Disston and Sen Ramil, And now I am proud too say that we have empowered almost a hundred Merrymen to work together and create positive change. 2020 was also the year JCI achieved Platinum seal of efficiency, something that we have continued to achieve until now.

In 2021, I served as the EVP for external affairs and the National Director for Membership where we organized the JCIP 21 Day Challenge with more than 1000 participants. I was very passionate about this program because it promotes physical, mental and emotional well-being. Something that I was also struggling with at the time and that I wanted to improve on. Under the leadership of NT Nike, this the year we became a Category 1 chapter, and won the most outstanding local organization for the first time. In recent history.

In 2022, I took a break from being a board of director to focus on other priorities. But I still continued being a JCI Trainer so I can still contribute to the chapter and encourage aspiring members to step out of their comfort zones. I also invested more in my active lifestyle and joined spartan races and triathlons.

2023 was a big year for JCI Mandaue, I can honestly say that President JM Yap went above and beyond and we were recognized not just with the quadro award but also Sinagtala for most outstanding chapter in the Philippines. And the Temiong for most outstanding president. During this year 2023, I focused on my studies and was also able to finish my Masters in Business Administration in the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. One big Fight.

I could honestly say that in the past 10 years, I really pushed myself to the limit to prove that I am worth it. But at the end of it all, I realized that I am not the smartest, strongest, or fastest, but what I have is heart. No matter what obstacles I encountered along the way, I never gave up. Even when I am struggling, I would always get up and finished what I started. And these are the same values that I want to teach my son, Jacob. For him to just do his best in everything he does to never give up on his dreams. Because I always be proud of him regardless of the outcome. He will always be enough.

In 2024, I felt like I had some unfinished business with JCI so I came back to finish what I started. Thanks to Pres Toffee for welcoming me back to the board of directors as your EVP internal, and together with the Internal Team, we established the Mandaue Way, our local growth and development program and aspirant’s roadmap, focusing on the programs that ASDD Earl pioneered for JCI Mandaue such as the creative cafe and springboard seminars.

Then 2025 finally came, my one year to lead. I was blessed to have a very passionate board of directors. In the beginning of the term, we had a local officers academy and strategic planning session where we laid down the goals for the year and how we plan to achieve them. And here we are at the finish line and it is my honor to announce what we have accomplished as a chapter, 2025 board of directors, please rise and recognized while I announce our chapter milestones for the year.

Temiong award for best JCI Rise Program, Sinagtala Award for best Public Health Program. 4 top 5 nominations National. Quadro Award for Most Outstanding Local Organization and Most Outstanding Chapter President, A total of 9 Quadro Awards, 3 Banaag Awards, and 8 top 5 nominations in the Area. JCIPEA Platinuim Seal of Efficiency, Platinum Banner Award with more than 18 National Programs conducted. NEVP Small wins award in the Area quarter 1, NEVP Top Local Organization in the Philippines Quarter 1, Best Practice Award for Environment and Most Outstanding Youth Organization in Mandaue City for 2025. Brothers, for the last time let us say all together, THIS IS HOW WE DO IT. Thank you you may now take your seats.

So how did we do it exactly, first is we began with the end in mind. I presented my vision and direction for the chapter, and everyone supported this vision. We also had a positive environment throughout the term. I think it is normal to have a few disagreements here and there, but it was so easy to let it go and move on. I always reminded myself that I chose this team because of their character. And I am always grateful for the everyone’s efforts and contributions to the chapter. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you to all the 2025 board of directors, deputies, regular members, new members and to all of our past presidents for all your support. I am forever grateful for this opportunity to be your president.

Some of the BODs said they’ve never seen me cry during the term, but after winning the Temiong award, it really brought me to tears. It was a full circle moment from 2017. And it’s the perfect ending to my 9 year JCI Journey. I remember praying that day, Lord you know the desires of my heart, you know how hard I worked, and he really granted my prayers. Just like in Romans 8:28, all things work together for those who love god. Those who are called according to his purpose.

These awards are nothing short of amazing, but my most memorable moments are bringing 500 children to Anjo World for Christmas, bringing Jacob to projects like bags to school, hekasi basa, and merrygalo so he can experience sharing his blessings at a young age, Planting mangroves and other collaborations with our sister chapters, mentoring and inspiring our junior jaycees and student leaders, seeing our daycare students graduate, aligning our family business with JCI Mandaue as we promote corn farming together in the north of Cebu, the travels, attending inductions and conventions, bonding moments with otherJCI members, and of course celebrating together with the Merrymen because our brotherhood with Purpose gets stronger every time we achieve something meaningful.

JCI Mandaue has come a long way in the past 10 years, and with the leadership of President Jess Anthony Cruz, his EVPs, Jay Sanciangco and Peter Paul, and the rest of the 2026 Board of Directors, I have no doubt that we have a very bright future ahead.

Some people asked what is next after JCI, for me I want to spend more time with Jacob. Focus on our business and our advocacies, like our scholarship foundation. GPULP, our family have been doing this for the past 12 years in Isabela and Tuguegarao, and now we are expanding Los Banos and Bohol. One thing I discovered in JCI is my passion in guiding the younger generation and student leaders. We see so many people complaining on social media but I believe that if we want real change in our country, we can start by molding the values of our future leaders.

Lastly, I want to thank my family and friends for being very supportive, as you can see my proud parents are still here even if I’m already the outgoing president, and also I want to thank NT Nike Cagulada for inviting me to JCI Mandaue back in 2017, it gave me the most meaningful experiences and most importantly it gave me purpose. It changed my whole life. And this is why I will be grateful that I spent my whole 30s in this organization. So with that, let me end me end by saying. This is Sam Uy, your 2025 JCI Mandaue President, officially singing out.

Mabuhay JCI Mandaue Mabuhay ang JCI Philippines.