Quezon City Cubao Lions Club History
In 31 years, Cubao Lions Club has had 30 club presidents who each served a one-year term . The only exception was Lion Roger Quiambao, who was president for two consecutive terms, on LY 1983-1984 and LY 1984-1985.
In 1984, Lion Roger was Running for Reelection in the Interim Batasan Pambansa and he needed as much exposure as possible in service organizations in Quezon City.
The club threw its full support to him and relaxed the rules on the limitation of the tenure of the club president.
The accommodation did well more for the club than for him. on his first and second term, he recruited Lion members who would eventually assumed the leadership of the club. Among the fresh recruits were Lions Manny Cuasay, Manny Azarcon, Rolly Traballo, and Ric Padua. All of them became club presidents one after the other.
Lion Roger took over a club that had seen better days. Charter President Lion Fred Lingad, Lion Greg Timbol, Lion Pete Raagas, Lion Andy Dy-Juanco, Lion Paeng Ramos, Lion Bay Raffael, Lion Marte Iglesias, Lion Archie Domingo and others were outstanding Lions and left their indelible marks on the club. Cubao Lions Club was not only a Lions club, it was the club as far as they and their partisan members were concerned. The club's stocks went up farther upon the election of Lion Pete Raagas as district governor in LY 1975-1976.
Then the club's Fortunes changed. Some left either to form other clubs or join others. But the core group now led by Lions Roger Quiambao, Bay Rafael, Paeng Ramos, Ben Querubin, Archie Domingo, Emil Simbillo, and others held on. Lion Roger was urged to assume the presidency, revitalize it and inject new blood that would gel with the old members. He had determination, energy and resources to turn around the club.
The revitalized club went full steam starting the term of Lion Manny Cuasay on LY1985-1986 and it never Stopped. Some observers Believe this period gave birth to the "new Cubao Lions Club."
The new Club leaders did not have any emotional attachments with the past leaders most of whom they never met. While they grudgingly admired them for their individual contributions, they were not inhibited or awed by their accomplishments. Lion Ben served as the sole link between the "old " and "new" club.
The new club took on a fresh perspective in community service by undertaking non-traditional, innovative projects. It also embarked on recruitment of quality members and further strengthened it. Moreover, it established and maintained close relations with the district.
Cubao Lions Club is perhaps one of the few Lions hereabouts whose past presidents are still very active in club activities and projects. Only one of ten past presidents has not attended any board or general membership meetings in the last six months for healthy reasons. The past presidents organize activities and projects attend meetings and accept appointments. They compete in a friendly way with each other like new members. In effect, they have become the core group of the club and the sparkplug that energizes the rest of the members.
In the last almost 15 years since its birth the new Cubao Lions Club has lived up to the expectations of everyone. It has grown wiser, stronger, bigger, and better. It has also become more confident of itself, aware that its predecessor, the old Cubao Lions Club, has a remarkable history it can be very proud of.